Ananth Kumar confident of BJP win in UP

New Delhi, Jan 14 (ANI): Stating that Congress is poised to lose in the Uttar Pradesh elections, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Ananth Kumar has said that he expects his party to emerge as the clear winner in the upcoming state assembly elections.

"The people of Uttar Pradesh will see through the game of Congress. And they are going to give a befitting lesson to the Congress party in these elections. In Bihar, last year, Congress had to bite the dust. I think the same fate is waiting for the Congress party in the Uttar Pradesh elections also. In Uttar Pradesh, BJP will be the clear winner," Kumar told the media here on Friday.

Further slamming Salman Khurshid over minority quota issue, Kumar has said that the Law Minister has violated the election commission's model code of conduct by announcing reservation for religious minorities.

Taking to mediapersons here on Friday, Kumar said that Khurshid's remark of providing quota to Muslim minorities in Uttar Pradesh is a blatant violation of the Election Commission's code of conduct.

"Salman Khurshid has slammed the Election Commission. We condemn it. It has always been the attitude of the Congress and the UPA government. They have this habit of attacking all constitutional bodies. The Election Commission is an important pillar of democracy. It should be kept intact. It is unfortunate to slam it. The Congress should desist from such activities," he said.

On Monday, Khurshid had promised to raise reservation as against the existing quota of 4.5 percent reserved for groups bracketed under other backward classes, if his party is elected to Uttar Pradesh assembly elections.

Following the statement by Khurshid , the BJP has been criticising the Congress party for such assurances of increase in Muslim reservation right ahead of the polls.

Uttar Pradesh elections, spread through a seven phase polling in the months of February and March are seen as an opportunity for Congress party to re-establish a foothold in its erstwhile political base in the country's fifth largest and most populous state.

Uttar Pradesh will elect a new 403-member state assembly in March, and the poll results are expected to broadly indicate trends for 2014 general elections. (ANI)