"BJP will win over 400 seats and Congress will struggle for 40": Anurag Thakur

New Delhi [India], April 19 : As the country goes to the polls in the first phase of Lok Sabha elections on Friday, Union Minister for Information & Broadcasting and Youth Affairs & Sports, Anurag Thakur says that BJP will secure beyond 400 and Congress will struggle for even 40 seats.
Taking a jibe at Congress, Anurag Thakur, while speaking to ANI said, "BJP will secure beyond 400 and Congress will struggle for even 40 seats. Congress today talks about going back to paper ballots because in earlier times, polling booths were looted. Ballot boxes were falsely stamped. But today, because of the EVMs, there is transparency. No matter which government, the Election Commission has always done a great job... And this is the biggest strength of our democracy."
Hailing India's democracy, the Union Minister also encouraged the first-time voters to come out and vote. "The world's largest democracy is going for the polls and we are the oldest democracy as well. But we also have the youngest population in the world... 18+ are going to vote for the first time and for the first time voters, all I want to say is please come out in large numbers and vote. 'Pehla vote desh ke liye.'"
The minister also claimed that the people in the country want continuity, positivity, and stability in the country and asserted that citizens want to see India achieve a status as the third largest economy in the next three years. They also desire strong leadership. "People want strong leadership and they have seen how the county has progressed in the last 10 years. From fragile five to the first five. How the country has progressed under the leadership of Modi ji in the last 10 years and has earned a name globally. Now, the people want to see continuity and stability and want India to grow as a third largest economy in the next three years."
Expressing his views on the voting in Tamil Nadu, Thakur said that the state will witness a historic vote and the people of Tamil Nadu sees BJP as a ray of hope. "You could see a sea of change in Tamil Nadu. People are looking at BJP as a ray of hope, as an alternative in the state of Tamil Nadu and I am sure that this time, it is going to be a historic vote in the state."
The BJP leader also criticised the duo of Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav. "These two came before also a few years ago... Earlier, they came under the mask of UPA, today, they have come under the mask of INDIA alliance. But behind this, there are the same corrupt faces, the same failed product... No matter how many times you do their marketing, no matter how many times you launch them, nothing will happen..."
Voting for the first phase of Lok Sabha elections 2024 began on Friday across 102 parliamentary constituencies spread over 21 states and Union Territories as the mega seven-phase electoral exercise commenced at 7:00 am. Voters will exercise their franchise until 6:00 pm.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is seeking his third consecutive term, while the opposition bloc-INDIA- a coalition of opposition parties formed to take on the BJP in the general elections, is eyeing ousting him from power.
According to the data released by the Election Commission of India (ECI), a total of 1.87 lakh polling stations have been set up, while 18 lakh personnel have been deployed across the 102 constituencies going to the polls.