UP polls: Not disclosing chief ministerial candidate a strategy, says Amit Shah

Reacting to the questions being raised for not projecting the chief ministerial candidate in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls, Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) president Amit Shah on Monday said it was a part of their strategy.

"We haven't disclosed the chief ministerial candidate in Uttar Pradesh under our election strategy. And I feel we took the right decision," Shah told ANI News Editor Smita Prakash in an exclusive interview while on his way to Somnath.

Shah further said that the party forum would decide the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh polls.

"The strategy for the BJP is not decided by one person. There is a team which makes it. I believe a bigger wave, as compared to one in 2014, has been seen in Uttar Pradesh in 2017," he added.

Expressing confidence over sweeping the assembly polls, Shah said, "We will form government in Uttar Pradesh with two-third majority. Be it Awadh, Rohilkhand Bundelkhand or Kashi, the BJP is leading everywhere. We will form government in the state."

"We did not change our manner of communicating. Issues change with time. So, the issues did change but the BJP follows its ideology. Post 2017 elections, family politics, caste politics will come to an end and politics of performance will originate," he added.

Earlier, while addressing a elections rally in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati ridiculed the BJP for not projecting its chief minister face.

"How the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would win the assembly polls when it has not even projected the name of their chief minister candidate," Mayawati said while addressing rally in Ballia.

40 seats spread across seven districts of Ghazipur, Varanasi, Chandauli, Mirzapur, Bhadohi, Sonbhadra and Jaunpur will go to the polls for the last phase on March 8.

The results will be announced on March 11.