BJP to fall short of majority this polls, says Sena's Sanjay Raut

Mumbai: A Shiv Sena leader has endorsed Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) general secretary Ram Madhav’s statement that the BJP may fall short of an absolute majority in the Lok Sabha and it will have to depend on allies to form the next government.

Endorsing Mr Madhav’s views, senior Sena leader Sanjay Raut said that it looks a ‘bit difficult’ for the BJP to reach the 280-seat mark as it did in the 2014 polls.

Mr Madhav said in a media interview last week that the BJP may have to stitch up alliances after the election, as the party will fall short of winning an absolute majority in the Lok Sabha.

“If we get 271 seats on our own, we will be very happy. With NDA we will have a comfortable majority,” he had said.

Mr Madhav’s statements are a far cry from BJP chief Amit Shah and finance minister Arun Jaitley’s claims that the party will fare even better in the election this year.

“What Mr Madhav says is right. The NDA will form the next government. The BJP will be the single largest party. As of now it looks a bit difficult for the BJP to reach the 280- 282 figure on its own but our NDA ‘parivar’ (family) will cross the majority mark,” Mr Raut told a TV channel.

Mr Raut also said that the Sena would be happy if Narendra Modi becomes the Prime Minister again.

He said, “I welcome Mr Madhav's statement and the Shiv Sena would be a part of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). We would be happy if PM Narendra Modi becomes the Prime Minister again.”

The Uddhav Thackeray-led party has 18 members in the outgoing Lok Sabha, and is a major ally of the BJP. It is also a part of the BJP-led government in Maharashtra.

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