'Behtareen kaam ho rha hai': Nana Patekar predicts 375+ seats for BJP in 2024 Lok Sabha polls

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will record a big win and bag 375-plus seats in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, according to Bollywood actor Nana Patekar. "Dekh lena...kitne bade tarike se BJP aa jayegi (you will see, how BJP will return)," he said while speaking to Zee Business. "We don't have any alternative and excellent work has been happening. I won't be surprised if they win 375 to 400 seats."

In the 2019 election, the BJP, on its own, had won 303 seats, the highest-ever tally by the party in its history.

Earlier this month, poll strategist Prashant Kishor said the BJP has an advantage in the 2024 parliamentary polls because of the party's win in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh.

"When you go ( to national poll) with a win, it gives you an added advantage, at least psychologically," he said in an interview with India Today's News Director Rahul Kanwal. "To that extent, BJP has an advantage. But to draw a conclusive argument that because the BJP has won three states, they are going to win the Lok Sabha election is not true."

Also read: 'BJP is ahead of INDIA alliance for 2024; caste-based census may have hurt Congress in Chhattisgarh': Prashant Kishor

Kishor said the BJP was ahead any which way even before the assembly elections in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh. "For any independent observer, BJP was well ahead of the INDIA alliance, and that continues to be the case," the strategist said. "But these state elections would have added a bit more psychological advantage to the BJP."

The INDIA bloc, a political alliance of 28 political parties, has come together to stop Prime Minister Narendra Modi from returning to power for the record third term. While the opposition block is confident of making a dent in the ruling party's fortune, three opinion polls conducted so far have predicted a majority for the BJP. Times Now-ETG poll has predicted 323 seats for the NDA and 163 for the INDIA alliance. India TV-CNX has projected 315 for the BJP and 172 for the opposition bloc.
 
Earlier this year, Patekar had praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In an interview, the veteran actor said he had met Modi when the latter was the Chief Minister of Gujarat.

In November 2016, Patekar backed the Modi government's demonetisation move and asked the people to support the government. "Demonetisation is a good step. Due to demonetisation, terrorism will get a hit," Patekar had said. "As common people, we should tolerate the inconvenience for 10, 15 and 25 days, and it is a very minor difficulty caused for us (on account of demonetization), which is minor in terms of that of the nation (is going through due to parallel economy of black money and fake currency)."