On Twitter, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the Assam win “exceptional” and “historic”.
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The new BJP members of the Assam Assembly on Friday informally met under the leadership of 53-year-old Sonowal, who is now Union Minister of Sports, at the party headquarters here, spokesperson Himanta Biswa Sarma said.
Taking shots at the Prime Minister and Amit Shah, it asked how the BJP could be satisfied with such small wins when party president, Amit Shah, had called for a “Mamata-mukt Bengal”.
The BJP today made history in Assam by getting its first government in the north east, decimating Congress which was dethroned in Kerala too even as two women Chief Ministers Jayalalithaa and Mamata Banerjee romped home for a second consecutive term in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal.
However, Joshi points out that although the BJP scored a win against a “weakened Congress” in Assam, it failed to gain a foothold in the southern states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, or make a significant mark in West Bengal, which are controlled by powerful regional parties. “I thank all voters who participated in strengthening our democratic process during these elections as also the Congress workers and leaders who worked hard during the campaign”. Congress president Sonia Gandhi issued a statement saying, “We will introspect into the reasons for our loss and will rededicate ourselves to the service of the people with greater vigour”.
Bangladesh Exports Minister Gaffar Khan came down hard on Rahul Gandhi for the poor performance in the state they held for so long.
With the exception of Karnataka and a few other states, the Congress-led UPA coalition does hold a majority in the upper house of India’s parliament, the Rajya Sabha. This election actually wiped out all other political parties–like the one man shows that Tamil Nadu is famous for–with the AIADMK (40.8) and DMK (31.6) together capturing over 72% of the vote.
In northeastern state of Meghalaya, the NPP retained Tura parliamentary seat that had fallen vacant after the demise of sitting MP and former Lok Sabha speaker P.A. Sangma.
In these Assembly elections, the vote percentage of the BJP has dropped in the states despite the hype.
The BJP has also won the four assembly segments in the two Hill districts of Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao, where the Congress had been the traditional victor.
“In Kerala, the Congress and the Left keep winning by turns”.
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India’s endless electoral carousel has completed another spin, and it’s been a good round for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
