News Analysis India

Tag: Assam Assembly Poll Results

  • Inability to garner trust leads to failure of alliance in Assam

    By Express News Service
    GUWAHATI:  The hotchpotch alliance of 10 opposition parties with contrasting ideologies, which also had no chief ministerial face, found few takers eventually.

    The “Mahajot”, formed two months ago to oust BJP, was led by Congress. It faced a leadership crisis and got riddled with factionalism following the death of former Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi.

    The Congress and minority-based All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) had come together to thwart the split of anti-BJP and anti-Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) votes. In 2016, their combined vote share was more than the winning candidates of the BJP-led alliance in 14 seats.

    If the alliance paid dividends in the Bengali-majority central and lower Assam besides Barak Valley, it cost the Congress dear in the Assamese-dominated upper part of the state. In a state grappling with the problem of illegal migration from Bangladesh, voters in upper Assam were upset that Congress aligned with AIUDF, perceived to be the protector of illegal immigrants.

    “The alliance with the AIUDF affected us greatly in upper Assam,” a Congress insider said. 

    Of other reasons, he said Congress had a leadership vacuum after Gogoi’s death. “People did not accept the leadership of state Congress chief Ripun Bora. As we did not have a CM face, people got  confused.”

    Further, the two new parties, Raijor Dal and Asom Jatiya Parishad, caused a split of the anti-BJP and anti-AGP votes in several seats, thereby affecting the Congress. Congress also overestimated or miscalculated the anti-CAA sentiments. Even as it campaigned aggressively, several leaders of the anti-CAA movement joined BJP.

  • Himanta Biswa Sarma: Man of the Match of the Assam elections

    Express News Service
    GUWAHATI: Five years ago, he came and not only contributed to building the prowess of the BJP in Assam but also hoisted the party’s flag across the Northeast. Now, on a day when the BJP has retained power in Assam, Himanta Biswa Sarma can pat himself once again. 

    From being the face of the party in Assam through the pandemic as the state’s Health Minister to being instrumental in the selection of party candidates, Sarma took a huge gamble. On Sunday it paid off, and how!

    The BJP’s victory has triggered speculations on the CM candidate. For the past few months in Assam, there have been murmurs that the BJP might promote Sarma as CM by giving ministerial responsibilities to current CM Sarbananda Sonowal in Delhi. But from Sonowal to Sarma to party chief Ranjeet Kumar Dass, all have left the matter to the wisdom of the Central leadership.

    A master election strategist who is widely known for his political acumen, Sarma was instrumental in scripting the BJP’s victory in some other states of the Northeast in recent years.

    ALSO READ | Assam Results LIVE: BJP set to repeat victory in Assam; Himanta says CM will be from Saffron party

    He has high ambitions and he did all that he could during the election campaign to retain the attention of the party’s central leadership. 

    There was the grand show when he went to file his nomination papers with several thousand supporters. Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh and BJP’s two central leaders were also present. Sonowal’s filing of nomination, in contrast, was a low-key affair. Then there were the rallies and roadshows across Assam in the midst of thousands of his supporters.

    But one reason why the BJP might continue with Sonowal is its defeat in West Bengal. The party is expected to give credit to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the victory in Assam. Sarma’s appointment might take away Modi’s role in the victory, for the PM had led the party’s Assam election campaign.