Ravi Shankar Prasad, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Lok Sabha candidate from Patna Sahib, expressed strong confidence in the BJP and its allies securing a significant victory in the ongoing elections, aiming for the target of ‘Abki Baar 400 Paar’.
As he headed to cast his vote, Prasad reiterated his faith in the BJP’s agenda for a developed India and Bihar, emphasizing the importance of a stable government and the values of Sanatana Dharma, along with addressing the needs of the underprivileged.
When asked about the BJP’s prospects in the elections, Prasad boldly stated that the party is poised to win with over 400 seats across the country and garner over 4 lakh votes in Patna Sahib. He quipped, “400 paar waha bhi (seats for NDA across the country) aur 4 lakh paar (votes for the party) Patna Sahib mein bhi.”
Taking a dig at the opposition’s aspirations of Rahul Gandhi becoming the Prime Minister, Prasad remarked, “Dreaming is for everyone, and nobody is stopping them from dreaming.”
In the current election, the BJP-led NDA has fielded Ravi Shankar Prasad for his second term from Patna Sahib, while the Congress, part of the INDIA alliance, has fielded Anshul Avijit, son of former speaker Meira Kumar.
In the previous 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Prasad secured victory for the BJP in Patna Sahib, defeating Congress’s Shatrughan Sinha with 61.85% of the votes polled.
The ongoing elections mark the final phase of the world’s largest polling marathon, covering 486 Lok Sabha seats across seven phases. Voting commenced today in 57 parliamentary constituencies across seven states and the Union Territory of Chandigarh.
The Election Commission of India estimates over 10.06 crore electors, including approximately 5.24 crore men, 4.82 crore women, and 3574 third-gender electors, will exercise their franchise in this phase.
The states participating in this phase include Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Odisha, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, and the Union Territory of Chandigarh. Additionally, polling for 42 Assembly constituencies in Odisha will take place simultaneously.
A total of 904 candidates are contesting in this final phase, with prominent figures such as Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP leaders Ravi Shankar Prasad and Nishikant Dubey, Congress leaders Manish Tewari and Charanjit Singh Channi, as well as other key leaders from various parties.
Polling for the earlier six phases of Lok Sabha elections was conducted on April 19, April 26, May 7, May 13, May 20, and May 25. Simultaneously, assembly polls have been held in Andhra Pradesh, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh, with Odisha seeing concurrent elections for Lok Sabha and assembly in the final four phases.
