BJP will win more seats in 2019 LS polls: Amit Shah

New Delhi, May 26: BJP chief Amit Shah said today his party will notch up a bigger victory in the next Lok Sabha polls than the 2014 elections, asserting that India will emerge as a "great nation" in various fields under Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The saffron tally of 282 seats in 2014 was unprecedented but Shah expressed confidence that the BJP would surpass it in 2019 on the back of a better performance in states like West Bengal, Kerala, Telangana and Odisha where it had won few seats in the last polls.

Shah told PTI during an interaction that India's self- confidence, pride and scale of ambition have grown manifold in three years and attacked opposition parties for their promotion of casteism, family rule and appeasement.

Drawing a contrast between the 10-year UPA rule and the current government, he said the former was marked by a scam almost every month while even the rivals of Modi dispensation have not been able to level a single charge of corruption against it.

In a swipe at the UPA, he said every minister was a prime minister in its government while nobody took the real prime minister seriously. The biggest asset of the BJP government is that it is decisive and has restored the authority of the prime minister's office (PMO), he added.

Asserting that India has become the fastest growing economy in the world, he said the government has taken a slew of measures, including reforms, to contain inflation and boost GDP.

On political front, he said, "We have succeeded in bringing multifold change in the national politics. The UP elections have underlined it. We have virtually finished casteism, family rule and appeasement," he said.
Asked if he saw the Congress or the regional parties as the bigger threat in 2019, he said, "Elections are still two years away and any (opposition) party can be a threat in the next elections. But I am sure we will substantially increase our numbers."

He said his party will maintain its overall sweep of northern and western India while substantially boosting its numbers in the North-East and southern India, besides West Bengal.

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Rajdhani Express Derails, 7 elephants killed after collision in Assam

News Network

December 20,2025

At least seven elephants were killed and one calf injured after a herd collided with the Sairang-New Delhi Rajdhani Express in Assam's Hojai on Saturday morning, leading to disruption of rail services.

The Sairang-New Delhi Rajdhani Express struck a herd of elephants, resulting in the derailment of the locomotive and five coaches. No passenger casualties or injuries were reported, officials said.

The New Delhi-bound train met with the accident around 2.17 am, PTI reported. The Sairang-New Delhi Rajdhani Express connects Mizoram's Sairang (near Aizawl) to Anand Vihar Terminal (Delhi).

Railway has issued helpline numbers at the Guwahati Railway Station:-

•   0361-2731621
•   0361-2731622
•   0361-2731623

The accident site is located about 126 km from Guwahati. Following the incident, accident relief trains and railway officials rushed to the spot to initiate rescue operations.

Train Services Disrupted

Sources said that due to the derailment and elephant body parts scattered on the tracks, train services to Upper Assam and other parts of the Northeast were affected.

Passengers from the affected coaches were temporarily accommodated in vacant berths available in other coaches of the train. Once the train reaches Guwahati, additional coaches will be attached to accommodate all passengers, after which the train will resume its onward journey.

The incident occurred at a location that is not a designated elephant corridor. The loco pilot, upon spotting the herd on the tracks, applied emergency brakes. Despite this, the elephants dashed into the train, leading to the collision and derailment.

Last month, an elephant was killed after being hit by a train in Dhupguri in West Bengal's Jalpaiguri district. The incident took place on November 30.

The adult elephant was killed on the spot, and a calf was discovered lying injured beside the tracks.

Over 70 Elephants Killed In Train Collisions Over Last 5 Years

At least 79 elephants have died in train collisions across the country in the last five years, the Environment Ministry had informed Parliament in August.

In a written reply in the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Environment Kirti Vardhan Singh had said the figure is based on reports from state governments and Union Territory administrations for the period 2020-21 to 2024-25.

He said that the ministry does not maintain consolidated data on the deaths of other wild animals on railway tracks, including in designated elephant corridors.

Singh confirmed that three elephants, including a mother and her calf, were killed on July 18 this year after being hit by a speeding express train on the Kharagpur-Tatanagar section in West Bengal's Paschim Midnapore district. The incident took place near Banstala between Jhargram and Banstala stations.

The minister said several measures have been taken jointly by the Environment Ministry and the Railways to prevent such accidents.

These include imposing speed restrictions in elephant habitats, pilot projects such as seismic sensor-based detection of elephants near tracks and construction of underpasses, ramps and fencing at vulnerable points.

The Wildlife Institute of India, in consultation with the ministry and other stakeholders, has also issued guidelines titled 'Eco-friendly Measures to Mitigate Impacts of Linear Infrastructure' to help agencies design railways and other projects in ways that reduce human-animal conflicts.

Singh added that capacity-building workshops were conducted for railway officials at the Wildlife Institute of India in 2023 and 2024 to raise awareness on elephant conservation and protection.

A detailed report titled 'Suggested Measures to Mitigate Elephant & Other Wildlife Train Collisions on Vulnerable Railway Stretches in India' had also been prepared after surveys across 127 railway stretches covering 3,452 km.

Of these, 77 stretches spanning 1,965 km in 14 states were prioritised for mitigation, with site-specific interventions suggested.

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