Repeat of BJP's 2014 performance not guaranteed in 2019, says JDU leader

Kolkata: JD(U) national general secretary Pavan Kumar Varma on Wednesday said the BJP was unlikely to repeat its performance of 2014 in the next Lok Sabha polls but the NDA would still bag more seats than the proposed opposition front.

He reminisced about the "human touch" of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in coalition politics and said he knew how to take along coalition partners irrespective of differences.

"The BJP has many as 40 coalition partners in the states... Some of its most important and visible partners are annoyed with the BJP. For instance, the Shiv Sena and the Akali Dal," Varma told reporters in Kolkata

"It appears to be that the BJP, which is currently the largest party of the country, will find it difficult to repeat its performance in the same manner like in 2014. But it'll be much more than the number of seats that will be won by the proposed opposition front," he said.

The next Lok Sabha election is due next year and the Nitish Kumar-led JD(U) is part of the NDA.

Varma was critical about demonetisation and said although the decision to implement it was taken with a good intention, it was not implemented properly and led to a lot of problems.

"I also have problems with the way nationalism is being projected today. I'm not ready to take certificates from others on nationalism," he added.