Exclusive: “400 Paar Not Just A Campaign Slogan, But…”: Rajnath Singh To NDTV

New Delhi: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has expressed confidence the BJP and its allies will win over 400 seats in the Lok Sabha elections this time.

Mr Singh’s comment comes on a day people voted in the sixth of the seven-phase elections. The last round of voting will be held on June 1.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi as well as other BJP leaders have also been saying the party will cross 400 seats this election.

“400 paar (crossing 400) was not just our campaign slogan, but our resolve. After six phases, we are very confident of crossing that number,” Mr Singh told NDTV in an exclusive interview.

PM Modi also told NDTV on May 12 during a roadshow in Bihar that the BJP will expand its footprint hugely in eastern India this time, which would take the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) easily over the 400-seat mark.

“I have visited almost all the states of India. And I can say that Bihar has added many colours to the BJP and NDA’s resolution of ‘400 paar’. The atmosphere in Bihar is the same as that of the entire country,” PM Modi had said.

Mr Singh contested from Uttar Pradesh’s Lucknow constituency this time again. He had won from there twice. Lucknow is a prestigious seat previously represented by former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

When the BJP retained power in 2019, with an even larger seat share than in 2014. Mr Singh remained one of the key members of PM Modi’s cabinet and was given charge of the Defence Ministry.

Keeping in mind the spirit of ‘Make in India’ and ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’, Mr Singh banned the import of 101 defence-related items in 2020. In May 2021, he decided that 108 military weapons and systems, including next-generation corvettes, airborne early warning systems, tank engines and radars would be entirely made in India.