Confident of winning Karnataka polls; BJP would garner 50% vote share in the country by 2019: Amit Shah

The PM’s popularity remained intact, Shah said, adding that BJP would garner 50% vote share in the country by 2019. “After 50%, there won’t be much left even for a combined opposition,” he said.

BJP President Amit Shah with B S Yeddyurappa. Photo: PTI (File)

Bengaluru: With only four days left for Karnataka to go to polls, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) National President Amit Shah has expressed his confidence in winning the assembly polls as he believes “Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s personal popularity has helped the party tap people’s anger against the Siddaramaiah government in the state”. In a conversation with English daily TOI, Shah alleged that the Congress government had failed Karnataka on all grounds, from farm distress, infrastructure development to law and order. The PM’s popularity remained intact, Shah said, adding that BJP would garner 50% vote share in the country by 2019. “After 50%, there won’t be much left even for a combined opposition,” he said. Shah defended the projection of B S Yeddyurappa for the top office in Karnataka despite corruption charges against him, saying all allegations against him were dismissed by a court which saw them as a frame-up. Shah  further took CM Siddaramaiah and said, his move to recognise Lingayats as a non-Hindu community, suspected to be a move to split BJP’s staunch base among the community - had not worked because the CM’s intentions were seen as suspect. Karnataka will go to polls on May 12 and the counting of votes is set to take place on May 15.