Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah has been on an aggressive campaign, chasing a target of 20 Lok Sabha seats out of 28 for Congress in the state. In a chat with KR Balasubramanyam, he said INDIA bloc will do better than NDA, whose tally, he said, will not cross 200-220 seats. Edited excerpts:
When Congress won a record number of MPs and MLAs in undivided Andhra Pradesh in 2004 and 2009, it gave the reservation of BCs to Muslims, the PM claimed
BJP accuses Congress of planning to amend Constitution for Muslim reservations. Brij Lal defends Modi govt against allegations of ending reservations, citing past actions by Congress, Nehru, Rajiv Gandhi.
In the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, a triangular contest is expected between the BJP, the INDIA bloc, and the BSP. The BJP has nominated Arun Govil, known for his role as Lord Ram in the TV serial Ramayana, while the SP has fielded Sunita Verma, a former mayor and Dalit leader. The BSP has put forward Devvrat Tyagi. The absence of a Muslim candidate has made the election interesting, as traditionally, Muslim votes are divided between the SP and BSP.