The National Democratic Alliance's (NDA) seat share in Assam went into double digits for the first time in the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections, said the party's state unit president Bhabesh Kalita on Wednesday.
Kalita interacted with media persons at the BJP headquarters in Guwahati today and expressed his gratitude to the party's allies in Assam. He also spoke out on the recent controversy erupting in the aftermath of BJP MLA from Khumtai in Assam congratulating Congress candidate Gaurav Gogoi for the latter's win in Jorhat.
Bhabesh Kalita said, "For the first time in Assam, we have managed to achieve double digits in terms of seats. I would like to thank every party in the alliance for their contribution. Apart from Jorhat, Congress led in every minority heavy constituency."
The BJP's performance in the Lok Sabha general elections, which concluded with the counting of votes on Tuesday, was against expectations. The party performed poorly in several states and its performance in Assam also took a hit as results deviated from predictions.
Losing the Jorhat seat to former Assam Chief Minister late Tarun Gogoi's son Gaurav Gogoi in Assam particularly went against the BJP's plans.
Soon after, the BJP MLA from Khumtai, Mrinal Saikia stirred controversy by congratulating Gogoi for the win, drawing a reaction from Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.
Bhabesh Kalita spoke on the controversy today and said that Saikia should have congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi first. He also acknowledged the BJP's defeat in Jorhat.
"BJP will introspect on the loss in Jorhat. We led in all 14 constituencies," he said. On the Mrinal Saikia incident, Kalita said, "He should have congratulated Modi first. There will be a discussion on the issue within the party. Mrinal Saikia's equation with Ashok Sarma is not very good. This was brought to my notice by Sarma before the elections, but Saikia told me afterwards. Hence, there is a difference in their statements."
"If we had been arrogant, we would not have secured 11 seats. There will be bypolls in five of the constituencies shortly, four of which was won by us and one by Congress. As per our policies, we will leave them to our allies," said the Assam BJP chief.
Meanwhile, Bhabesh Kalita also spoke on AIUDF president Badruddin Ajmal's defeat in his stronghold Dhubri by a huge margin at the hands of Congress candidate Rakibul Hussain. He said, "No party gets wiped out. Ajmal needs to look into his mistakes. The minorities have started voting for BJP. The Myman community is voting for BJP," adding, "Congress is a communal party which plays on the lines of communal politics," in a dig at the opposition party.
With the assembly elections in Assam set to be held in 2026, the state BJP chief also laid the party's plans for it already, predicting a landslide win for BJP with over 100 seats, during his address .
