Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad makes light of BJP's poor bypoll show
Asked him about bypoll results during his press conference here, Mr Prasad evaded an answer saying that he was not aware of the trends.
Hyderabad: Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad made light of the BJP losing many byelections in UP and other states on Thursday. He said TS and AP would be the focus states for the BJP in 2019. Asked him about bypoll results during his press conference here, Mr Prasad evaded an answer saying that he was not aware of the trends. When reporters told him that the BJP had lost bypolls, the minister replied that bypolls were usually fought on local issues and as such they should not be taken seriously.
“Local factors play key role in bypolls. But the BJP will win general elections in 2019 with a thumping majority. The general elections will be fought on broader issues,” Mr Prasad stated. Referring to Telugu states, he said, “We made a good beginning in the south with the recent Karnataka Assembly elections by winning the highest number of 104 seats. We fell short of just eight seats to get majority. But due to opportunitistic politics, the BJP could not form government.” “For the BJP, the focus is now on southern states. Of this, Telangana and AP are our prime focus states for 2019 polls,” he said.