Gangtok, April 25 (). Darjeeling Lok Sabha MP and BJP leader Raju Bista on Saturday expressed confidence that the party can win 170 to 180 seats in the West Bengal Assembly elections. He cited the decisive change in voters’ sentiments.
Bista said these things after taking stock of the preparations for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Sikkim on April 27 and 28 at the Burtuk helipad in Gangtok.
He was also accompanied by party leader Dilip Jaiswal, who was busy coordinating the arrangements for the Prime Minister’s two-day program. The event coincides with celebrations to mark almost 50 years of Sikkim becoming a state.
Addressing media persons, Bista claimed that BJP is getting tremendous support in West Bengal.
Referring to the first phase of voting, he said that the voting percentage was more than 92 percent and said that out of the 152 seats where voting took place, BJP is likely to win about 110 seats. He attributed this potential electoral gain to several factors, including alleged corruption, youth migration due to lack of employment opportunities and long-standing public grievances during previous governments.
Bista also cited demographic concerns in the border state as an issue influencing voter behaviour.
On regional matters, Bista reiterated that there is hope for a permanent political solution for the Darjeeling Hills and Dooars region by 2026. He said that any such solution would be done only within the ambit of the Constitution of India.
Referring to Sikkim, the BJP leader described the Prime Minister’s upcoming visit as historic and said it is in line with the celebration of important achievements of the state.
He said the visit would showcase Sikkim’s achievements and draw national attention towards its development.
Bista said that the presence of the Prime Minister is a matter of pride for the people of Sikkim.
He further informed that preparations for the yatra, including public programs and official events, are going on in full swing and many BJP leaders are already present in the state.
Bista said that as part of coordination efforts, the party’s national spokesperson Sambit Patra is also present in Sikkim.
Prime Minister Modi will participate in several official programs during his visit to Sikkim on April 27 and 28.
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