LS polls battle of ideologies; opposition has come together merely for power: Shah

The Lok Sabha elections will be a battle of two ideologies, BJP president Amit Shah said Friday, asserting his party stands for cultural nationalism and development of poor, while the rivals have come together merely for power.

In his inaugural address at the party's convention at Ramlila Maidan, Shah said the opposition's grand alliance, which he added has no policy and programme, enjoyed no nationwide influence.

The BJP had defeated each one of them in the 2014 general elections, he added.

Shah said his party will win more Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh than it did in 2014. The Bharatiya Janata Party had won 71 seats from the state that sends 80 Lok Sabha MPs to the lower house.

Top party leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, were present at the convention.

Earlier, in his welcome address, Shah said the Modi government has "fulfilled" the dreams of crores of youths with 10 per cent reservation in jobs and education for the general category poor, and described the constitution amendment bill as one of the most important legislations passed by Parliament.