Kishor admitted BJP is winning Bengal assembly polls: Amit Malviya

BJP's co-incharge of Bengal Amit Malviya said on Saturday referred to leaked audio of clubhouse chat and said West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's election strategist Prashant Kishor has conceded that Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is winning the state assembly elections.

"Kishore conceded that BJP has an edge in West Bengal and this is his internal survey. He accepted that the party is winning this election," Malviya said addressing a press conference in Kolkata.

Malviya, who is also national in-charge of BJP's Information and Technology department, had tweeted four audio clips of a purported conversation between Kishor and a group of journalists on Clubhouse app.

He said Kishor has said that Prime Minister Narendra was popular in the state and had mentioned anti-incumbency against the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC).

He said Kishor has also talked about the appeasement of minorities for the past 20 years and had noted that Congress, Trinamool Congress and the Left were part of this ecosystem.

Malviya said people had to knock on the doors of courts for permissions relating to Durga Puja permission.

"Attempts were made to ban Saraswati Vandana and that is what Mamata own strategists are accepting," the BJP leader said.

He said the Trinamool strategist had also said that Dalits will vote for BJP.

"There is anti-incumbency against Mamata Banerjee, as per the poll strategist," he said. .

Malviya said TMC and Mamata both know they are losing in the state.

Malviya said Kishor had stated in the audio that the Trinamool Congress was facing "anti-incumbency" and "anger" and that BJP had a good presence of workers in almost the entire state with the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee "equally popular".

He said in their internal surveys also "BJP comes predominantly" as the winning party in Bengal.

The Trinamool Congress reacted sharply to the release of clubhouse chat by BJP leader Amit Malviya and said it was part of "the mind game" by the BJP to create a wave in its favour in the assembly polls.

Party leader Dola Sen said the complete audiotape and not partial audiotape should be released.

On his part, Kishor also asked the BJP to "show courage and show the full chat instead of getting excited with selective use". He said the BJP will not cross 100 seats in the assembly polls.

"I am glad BJP is taking my chat more seriously than words of their own leaders! They should show courage & share the full chat instead of getting excited with selective use of parts of it. I have said this before & repeating again - BJP will not CROSS 100 in WB. Period," Kishor said in a tweet.

( With inputs from ANI )