Lotus blooms in North East with historic Assam verdict

Ahmedabad

Lotus has bloomed in Assam. This has happened for the first time not just in Assam but in entire north-east India.

Congress was in power in Assam since 2001 and the state was considered a stronghold of Assam. On the other hand, BJP couldn’t even think to win Assam several years back.

Assam defeat of Congress party can’t be attributed to anti-incumbency only. The results of Lok Sabha(2014) and assembly(2016) both make it clear that it’s positive vote for BJP this time in Assam.

Assam geographically is core state of north-east region. Word of mouth triggered by good governance, stability and development in Assam will bring further gains to BJP in north-east region.

That is also because the states in north-eastern region depend lot on centre. Like a sunflower follows sun, these states have their eyes on the government in centre. Be it insurgency, Bangladesh, China, Bhutan or Myanmar border issues, economic assistance, natural calamities or infrastructural needs, it is in interest of north-eastern states to get aligned with centre. More than the government, people out there realize this.

BJP had 12% vote share in Assam in 2011 assembly elections with victory over 5 seats. In 2014 Lok Sabha polls, the share increased to 36% with victory over 7(gain of 3) Lok Sabha seats which equaled to 69 assembly seats. So look at the scale of triumph. From 5 assembly seats in 2011 to 69 in 2014 and now over 80 seats in 2016. Truly a Hanuman jump for party.

Perfume trader Badruddin Ajmal led AIUDF was expecting hung assembly in Assam till today morning. Good that Assam voters have given decisive verdict and shattered the dream of those who were hoping to gain from political instability.

Tarun Gogoi’s succession plan, influenced by his putra-prem triggered separation of his key minister Himanta Viswa Sarma and 9 other MLAs from Congress party at very crucial time. Sarma has emerged one of the key persons responsible for BJP’s victory in Assam along with CM candidate and union minister Sonowal, state party incharge Ram Madhav, party president Amit Shah and main campaigner and Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi.

It must be noted that Assam is the state where Congress’s booth level team is very strong. Gogoi’s cadre is believed to keep housing-unit wise details of who is govt beneficiary and who is not. However nothing worked this time as voters decisively, collectively and strongly preferred to vote for Modi-led BJP with Sonowal as local face.

BJP will have to do good in the areas of jobs, border security, economic development, citizenship to make feel the voters of Assam that they elected change and they have got it.

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Guwahati, PTI

NDA continued to march ahead in Assam, leading in 83 of the total 126 Assembly seats, where counting is underway.

While BJP is leading in 55, its ally AGP is ahead in 15 and Bodoland Peoples Party in 12.

Congress, which was seeking to be returned for the fourth straight term, is leading in 27.

BJP chief ministerial candidate Sarbananda Sonowal and outgoing chief minister Tarun Gogoi are both leading in Majuli and Titabar Assembly constituencies.

AIUDF leader Badruddin Ajmal is trailing in his South Salmara seat. Independents are ahead in six and CPI(M) in one seat.

Congress dissident leader Himanta Biswa Sarma, who had joined BJP is leading in Jalukbari.

But another prominent BJP candidate Pawan Singh Ghatowar, a former Union minister, is trailing in Moran.

AGP leader Prafulla Kumar Mahanta, former two-time chief minister, is leading in Baharampur while his party’s working president Atul Bora is ahead at Bokakhat.

Congress candidate and minister of the outgoing cabinet Rakibul Hussain is trailing at Samaguri as is also Ajanta Neog, also a minister, at Golaghat.

Speaker of the outgoing Assembly Pranab Gogoi is leading in Sibsagar.

PTI