Working towards ‘400 paar’, things going well: Hardeep Puri

Aditi Tandon

New Delhi, May 5

Midway into the 2024 Lok Sabha election process, Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Sunday said things were going well for the BJP and the party, at the minimum, would clock 10 per cent additional votes over 2019, taking its tally from 303 today to 333.

“We are at 303 seats today. At the very minimum we will get another 10 per cent which makes it 333 or more likely 15 per cent which makes it 345 and if you add allies that is what the 400 plus is,” Puri said in an exclusive interview with The Tribune.

Asked if the “400 paar” slogan was realistic, the former diplomat-turned-politician said it was an aspiration. “400 paar is a sentiment expressed by our PM and we have to work towards it. We cannot have a situation of ‘abki baar 400 paar’ and our worker sits at home because of 42°C temperature. So these are election and cadre management issues. But it is going very well for us,” Puri said, adding the party would retain traditional strongholds and gain in South and east India. He also said the voter turnout had been “very good” and election issues stood clearly defined. “This election is a contrast between two competing narratives – PM Modi’s narrative of inclusive development and Congress-led Opposition’s narrative of ‘poverty distribution’. Rahul says he will do an X ray of wealth and redistribute it. I wonder who is advising him,” said Puri.