Speaking to reporters, the senior BJP leader said the BJP was ruling in nine States.
Advertisement
The results of the elections held in four states showed that Assam is the only place where BJP got absolute majority. He said Modi’s, “tireless and relentless efforts have paid off and that the people of the Northeast have been impressed by his dynamic leadership and initiatives he has introduced after taking over the helms of affairs”. Assam should serve as a template for future BJP electoral battles.
BJP president Amit Shah on Thursday projected his party’s maiden victory in the Assam assembly polls and the rise in its vote share in other states as popular endorsement of the Narendra Modi government’s policies and asserted that people have rejected Congress’ “negative and obstructionist” politics.
He has also faced criticism from some of leaders who left the party including Himanta Biswa Sarma, who has been instrumental in BJP’s victory in Assam. It also gained from inducting local former Congress heavy-hitters into its ranks amid an aggressive campaign promising to stop illegal migration from Bangladesh, a highly emotive issue in the state.
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.
The elections were especially important for BJP as it is the state legislators who elect the member of Parliament for Rajya Sabha where important Bills like Goods and Service Tax(GST) Bill were stuck due to lack of majority in the upper house.
ITANAGAR: Chief Minister Kalikho Pul congratulated BJP’s Assam Chief Ministerial candidate Sarbananda Sonowal for the party’s victory in Assam.
While the BJP-AGP alliance won the Naharkatia, Duliajan, Tingkhong, Chabua, Lahowal, Dibrugarh and Moran seats in Dibrugarh district, it snatched from the Congress three of five constituencies in Tinsukia district: Sadiya, Margherita and Digboi. “BJP’s dream is to see Congress-mukt Bharat”, says Bhattacharya. It is the first time since 1989 that a party has won two consecutive terms in the state.
AIADMK won 123 seats and was leading in 11 seats at press-time, while rival Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam – which did better than in the 2011 elections – won 81 and was leading in eight seats. “We have taken two more steps towards fulfilling PM’s slogan of Congress-free India”, he said referring to Congress defeats in Assam and Kerala.
Image copyright Reuters Image caption Rahul Gandhi (right) is expected to take over the leadership of the party from his mother, Sonia Gandhi.
Advertisement
A Congress Party spokesperson, P.C. Chacko, dismissed the party’s dismal showing, saying, “We have bounced back many times after humiliating defeats”. And at her first press conference Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee declared that her party would never go with the BJP, there was no question of that.
