BJP creates history in Assam; wins power second time in a row

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Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal one of the architects of BJP's victory in Assam

Guwahati, May 3: As the election results are coming out, it has become clear the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will be forming the government in Assam second time in a row. By bagging power in consecutive elections, the BJP has created history of sorts in Assam as barring the Congress party no other party could capture power for a consecutive term so far.

Meanwhile, the BJP Central team would be reaching Guwahati today to meet the newly elected members of the party and to decide the leader of the state legislature party.

BJP created history by winning Assam the second time in a row. This is the first time that a non-Congress party has bagged Assam twice consecutively and that too with 60 seats, just 4 short of the target of 64 in the 126-member Assam Assembly. However, the NDA led by the BJP secured 75 seats, enough to give a stable government to the state. The BJP’s allies Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) secured 9 while the UPPL won 6 seats taking the total NDA tally to 75 in the 126-member House.

With this strength the NDA is in a comfortable position to form the government in Assam for the second consecutive term. Also this will be the first time that a non-Congress party has romped back home in Assam.

The BJP secured 60 seats on its own, just 4 short for the simple majority. In the 2016 elections too the party had bagged the same number of seats while its ally the AGP had bagged 14 seats. This time the AGP received 9 and another ally the UPPL 6.

The UPPL is a party from the Bodo heartland. It came into existence in 2015 but started taking part in the active politics since 2020 Bodoland Territorial Council Elections. BJP made it its alliance partner and won the BTC polls in 2020 and won the polls. In 2016, the Bodoland People’s Front (BPF) was the BJP election partner along with the AGP.

The Congress has entered into a grand alliance ‘Mahajot’ but manage to stage a very poor performance. The Congress could manage to pocket 30 seats as against 26 in 2016 out of the 95 seats it contested. Its allies the AIUDF contested 20 and won 16 while CPM won 1, and the BPF 4 out of 12 seats. Thus the Mahajot could bag 51 seats 13 seats short of majority.

The poor electoral performance came as a big blow for the ‘grand old party’ as its state president Ripun Bora lost the Gohpur assembly seats against the BJP candidate Utpal Borah. Bora secured 92,894 votes while Bora polled 63,744.

Taking responsibility for the poor show by Congress, Bora resigned from the post of party president. In his letter to National Congress President Sonia Gandhi, Bora blamed BJP and RSS for playing ‘divisive and communal politics’.

The Bodoland People’s Front (BPF) was trounced in this election in Bodo heartland. It had won 12 seats in 2011 and 2016 elections but this time its tally lowered down to just 4 seats against the 12 it contested.

The three BPF ministers – Pramila Rani Brahma, Minister for Social Welfare and 6-time MLA from Kokrajhar East, Chandan Brahma, Minister of Tourism, Welfare of Plain Tribes and Backward Classes and 3-time MLA from Sidli, and Rihon Daimary, Minister of Public Health Engineering and Cooperation and a 4-time MLA from Udalguri lost their seats this time creating an embarrassing situation for the BPF the last time ally of the BJP.

Other regional parties like Asom Jatiya Parishad formed in mid-2020 failed to open its account. Its co-founder and president and former AASU general secretary, Luringjyoti Gogoi lost from both Duliajan and Naharkatia.

Another regional party Raijor Dal, launched by RTI activist and jailed peasant leader, Akhil Gogoi managed to win just one seat. Gogoi won the Sibsagar seat.