Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday claimed that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will secure 13 out of 14 Lok Sabha constituencies in Assam in the upcoming general elections.
“We will win in 13 out of 14 seats, except in Dhubri,” Assam CM said during a media briefing in Guwahati.
Responding to questions about excluding Dhubri from his count, Himanta Biswa Sarma remarked, “We don’t want to win there. Whether they offer garlands or criticise me, we don’t want to win there. I will not even go there to campaign. But we will focus on four Assembly seats under Dhubri Lok Sabha constituency, where we have the chance to win.”
Sarma’s statement holds particular significance as, until recently, the Assam Chief Minister had expressed confidence in the BJP’s victory in only 11.5 seats.
“We will win 11.5 seats. We don’t have any problem with the rest of the parties dividing the remaining 2.5 seats,” Himanta Biswa Sarma told the media last October.
Several political analysts have attempted to explain the Chief Minister’s earlier reference to the Nagaon Lok Sabha seat as a ‘half chance’ in the elections.
All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) president Maulana Badruddin Ajmal is contesting from the Dhubri constituency, where he currently serves as the sitting MP. It is noteworthy that the BJP’s two allies, AGP and UPPL, will contest from three constituencies: AGP from Dhubri and Barpeta, and UPPL from Kokrajhar seat.
Meanwhile, the Assam Congress has nominated key leaders in three key constituencies: sitting MP Pradyut Bardaloi from Nagaon, senior APCC leader and Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Assam Legislative Assembly since 2021, Rockybul Hussain, as the candidate from Dhubri constituency, and sitting MP Gaurav Gogoi from Kaliabor constituency (which had been demolished after delimitation) to contest from Jorhat. The Congress expressed confidence of winning these seats, including Dhubri, and defeating Maulana Badruddin Ajmal.
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