Delhi polls not a vote on PM Narendra Modi-led government: Amit Shah

NEW DELHI: Two days ahead of polling in Delhi, BJP chief Amit Shah today contended that the election outcome cannot be a referendum on the functioning of Narendra Modi government.

Dismissing surveys projecting a clear victory for AAP Aadmi Party, he expressed confidence that the BJP will form a government in Delhi with a "very big majority" and Kiran Bedi will become Chief Minister.

His comments are in line with the remarks of Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu on Delhi polls.

"It is true that it is an election for Chief Ministership. The election in a state cannot be a referendum (about Centre's functioning).

"While this is indeed true that the good work of the Government of India has its impact on elections, a state election cannot become a refrendum (on Centre's functioning) because of that one thing.

"Venkaiahji has not said that. He has said that Delhi election is not to elect a Chief Minister. You also know the Constitution. Elections in Delhi are never to elect Prime Minister," Shah told a news channel.

Holding that the electoral mandate in the national capital cannot be seen as a referendum on the Narendra Modi government, Naidu had told PTI in an interview, "It is an election for Chief Minister and not for Prime Minister."

"Narendra Modi is not fighting assembly elections. It is a state election. You are going to elect a Chief Minister not a Prime Minister. It is the BJP versus the rest. That is all".

Shah dismissed surveys projecting AAP as a winner and ridiculed Arvind Kejriwal accusing him of "trying to become a hero" by releasing its internal surveys to claim a winner.

Shah also dismissed Opposition raising questions over the BJP manifesto not talking about separate statehood for Delhi and said that this issue "should not be linked with with vote bank politics" and a decision on it should be taken through consultations after the poll noise is over.

Amid questions being raised over the projection of Kiran Bedi as BJP's Chief Ministerial choice, the BJP President remained non-committal on whether similar "lateral entry" of faces like Bedi will be experimented in other states including West Bengal.

"There cannot be a definite plan on whether to apply the strategy adopted in a particular state in other states as well because the dynamics and politics of every state are different.

"The political situation in different states is different and keeping that in mind, the party's Parliamentary Board will take a decision," he said.

Asked how important is Delhi for the BJP, he said that every election is important for his party and even elections happening in other states after this are important.