Hyderabad: Union home minister Amit Shah said that he would visit Telangana repeatedly until BJP wins the confidence of the voters there. He told a large gathering of party workers that he wanted to win at least 10 of the 17 Lok Sabha seats in 2024. Taking a more long-term view, he added that the party could win 64 seats in the next state polls, just like the Congress did this time.
Speaking at a private function, he gave a short but sharp speech, asking party workers to get ready for Lok Sabha elections and forget the loss in the assembly polls. BJP won eight seats in the assembly polls, the best show by the party in recent years, but this had not gone down well with the top leadership.
“Some people have asked me why I keep visiting Telangana after losing the election. I would say that losers are not those who lost the election. Losers are those who do not work hard the day following the result to win in the future,” he told the workers, adding: “BJP’s future in Telangana and India is bright.” He stated that the BJP would win 64 or even 94 seats in Telangana in the future.
The home minister told the cadres, “We won eight assembly seats with about 15% of the votes this time. In the Parliament elections, we should get 35% of the votes and win 10 seats.”
According to him, the people of Telangana voted against dynastic politics of a regional party, but in the process voted for a national party, which was controlled by a family. He referred to the BRS as a boat that sank even before the November 30 voting and the Congress as a boat that would sink soon. “The Congress has no future as the results of the five state elections have shown. The scenario will be the same in Telangana in the future,” he added.