The PM, who is aiming for a third term in office, was addressing a meeting of BJP office bearers at the start of the ruling party’s two-day national convention.

Briefing the media about the PM’s address, BJP national general secretary Vinod Tawde said that PM told party members that the BJP’s poll symbol— the lotus — will represent its candidates on all 543 seats in the elections due this summer.

“…370 is not merely a number for the Bharatiya Janata Party. It symbolises a profound sentiment. Syama Prasad Mookerjee made the ultimate sacrifice for the abrogation of Article 370, preserving our nation’s unity and integrity. As a tribute, BJP aims to secure victory on 370 seats, each representing Mookerjee’s legacy. We strive to secure 370 additional votes at every booth,” the PM said.

Mookerjee led the campaign against the abrogation of Article 370 that gave the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir its special status. He was incarcerated in J&K where he died under what the BJP claims were mysterious circumstances.

The reading down of the Article after Parliament passed the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Bill in 2019 has been on top of the BJP’s list of achievements in its second consecutive term at the Centre. Abrogation of the special status, and the scrapping of Article 35(A) that conferred the J&K legislature special rights and privileges in public sector jobs and acquisition of property in the State was on its list of electoral promises for decades.

The PM also instructed the cadre to ensure that at every booth, at least 370 votes are added to the BJP’s tally as compared to the votes polled in 2019.

Every party worker should focus on polling booths in the next 100 days, the period by which the upcoming Lok Sabha polls are likely to be over, and ensure at least 370 more votes for the party at every polling station than in 2019, he said.

The PM has set a target of the BJP winning 370 seats in the polls this year, and 400 seats with members of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

At the convention, the PM instructed party workers to reach out to first time voters, youth and women, and talk about the difference between the India before 2014 and now, Tawde said. The PM said the party should leverage his clean image and that of his administration to highlight the governance model.

“Women voters are not just voters for BJP, but the party also aims to receive their blessings. We need to be proactive in that direction…,” Tawde said, quoting Modi.

While the PM has repeatedly spoken about “Modi Ki Guarantee” as an affirmation of fulfilling his party’s poll promises, on Saturday, he asserted that the “the lotus is the candidate”.

“The lotus symbol represents the BJP’s candidate on all 543 seats in the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections of 2024,” the PM said.

The comment was perceived to pre-empt any internal disagreements in the party over candidate selection and rule out friction to spoil the party’s chances at the hustings. The party is aiming to retain power at the Centre for a third consecutive term.

Tawde said Modi has been the head of a government for nearly 23 years, 12 of which he spent as the chief minister of Gujarat, and there have been no allegations of corruption against his governments.

“It has been an aarop mukt and a vikas yukt period,” he said quoting the Prime Minister, adding that there has been no instance of such a long tenure of anyone holding constitutional positions not drawing any taint.

“This corruption free, development-oriented success that we got, we need to tell people about it,” Tawde said.

Tawde said the party will launch a campaign to reach out to beneficiaries of various central government schemes from February 25 and March 5.

The BJP, which came to power at the Centre in 2014, had promised action against corruption and the policy paralysis that marked the 10-year rule of the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA).

The party recently tabled in Parliament a white paper detailing the cases of irregularities and corruption during the UPA rule. The white paper, which will be part of its election campaign, presents a contrast between the Congress-led UPA’s rule that pushed the country to the list of “fragile five economies” and the BJP-led NDA’s bid to bring the economy on track.