Naidu expected BJP to get majority in LS polls, ‘one-sided election’ in Andhra

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has said he had believed Prime Minister Narendra Modi would lead the BJP to a majority in the Lok Sabha elections held earlier this year.

While he had expected “a clear majority for the BJP”, he was confident of “a one-sided election” in Andhra Pradesh as well, Naidu told the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit in New Delhi.

In reality, though, the BJP failed to win a legislative majority on its own. Its tally in the Lok Sabha is 240, well short of the required figure of 272 for a majority. Modi later formed a government with the backing of Naidu's Telugu Desam Party (TDP), Nitish Kumar's JD(S), and others.

Naidu praises Modi

Not only Naidu, pollsters has also predicted a whopping majority for the BJP in the exit polls. Naidu added at the event that election surveys were always different from the real results.

Naidu's feeling about his TDP returning with a majority in his state came true though.

The Andhra chief minister also spoke about a variety of other issues, including Modi’s leadership qualities, his own imprisonment in Andhra Pradesh before the elections, and the social media.

Naidu called Modi a “strong and very progressive” leader and credited him with bringing about revolutionary developments.

Also read: Andhra Budget: Can Naidu govt keep tall promises amid fiscal challenges?

Naidu hails brand India

The fact that India was now growing at 7.58 per cent demonstrated the strength of his leadership, he said. Also, under Modi, India has been recognised globally and brand India was now very strong, he added.

Naidu also said that Modi was always preparing for the next elections, reflecting his determination to win every electoral battle.

The TDP leader called for a debate on how to regulate social media, saying some criminals were using it to humiliate women and respected politicians.

At the same time, Naidu said Indians were doing extremely well due to their advanced knowledge of technology.

Naidu and IT

According to him, Indians were earning the highest per capita around the world because of the IT sector. Among them, 30 per cent were Telugu speakers.

Naidu recalled that he used to speak about IT at a time when people hardly discussed it.

He said he fought with then prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee seeking the promotion of IT even when there was no bandwidth.

Also read: Andhra: What's behind Pawan Kalyan's outburst against his own govt

‘Respect everyone’s views’

The veteran politician also told the audience that it was very important to respect differences and each other's opinions.

This was particularly essential for a coalition government. He said he now made it a point to carry people along with him.

Naidu recalled his experience while in prison, and complained that he was arrested without any notice.