Indian-American BJP supporters celebrate poll victory in four states

By Reena Bhardwaj
Washington [US], March 14 : Indian-American supporters of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) held victory celebrations across the US on Sunday after the ruling party at the Centre retained power in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Manipur, and Goa after the recently concluded Assembly polls.
"For over two months, from more than 12,000 kilometres away, the volunteers of 'Overseas Friends of BJP-USA (OFBJP)' participated in phone bank 'call-a-thons' to make calls to people in India, asking them to vote for the BJP in support of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath," said Adapa Prasad, national president of OFBJP.
"After the win, we received a call from the BJP president JP Nadda and he congratulated us for the efforts of the OFBJP," Prasad told ANI.
The supporters of the BJP went into the celebration mode by dancing to the beat of the UP election jingle of the party, 'Phir se BJP'.
Supporters at the victory party asserted that it was now the turn of the southern states for the BJP. Prasada said that the party is making all efforts to strengthen its base in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana and expressed optimism that the BJP would emerge victorious in these two states.
Speaking to ANI, Prasad said that the victory of the BJP in four out of five States, which went to the polls, indicates that the voters are staunchly behind the Modi government.
Another Indian-American body in New York celebrated the BJP's win over the weekend. "It is a historic win for the BJP in Uttar Pradesh, where after 37 years, voters have re-elected the same party. This shows the people's trust in Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and his governance," said Jagdish Sewhani, president of 'American India Public Affairs Committee'.
"This is an endorsement of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's pro-poor, pro-farmer and pro-development policies," Sewhani said in the statement.