Assam chief minister and Northeast Democratic Alliance (NEDA) convenor Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday claimed that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its National Democratic Alliance (NDA) allies will win 22 of the 25 Lok Sabha seats in the northeast in the upcoming general elections.
“Out of the 25 seats, NDA will win 22. That’s confirmed. We might not win 3 seats in Assam. The figure might increase to 23 seats for us as well. It’s going to be a simple election (for us). Nothing much to worry about,” he said.
In 2019, the BJP had 14 seats while its allies bagged 4, taking the NDA total to 18. In Assam, the party had won 9 seats, with Congress bagging 3 and All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) and an Independent candidate winning one seat each.
“We will surely win 11 of the 14 Lok Sabha seats in Assam. There’s no competition there. And God willing, we might win 12 as well. Our candidates will win with margins of 100,000-200,000 votes this time. We are not too bothered about the elections and are focusing on development work,” Sarma said.
BJP is contesting on 11 seats in Assam and its coalition partners, the Asom Gana Parishad and the United Peoples Party Liberal (UPPL), will put up candidates in two seats and one seat, respectively.
{{/usCountry}}BJP is contesting on 11 seats in Assam and its coalition partners, the Asom Gana Parishad and the United Peoples Party Liberal (UPPL), will put up candidates in two seats and one seat, respectively.
{{/usCountry}}Addressing a press conference in Guwahati, Sarma also briefed about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s two-day visit to Assam starting Friday, during which he will inaugurate, or lay foundation stone of central and state government projects worth around ₹18,000 crore.
Sarma said Modi will arrive in Assam on Friday evening and spend the night at the Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve (KNPTR). The following morning he will visit the park for around two hours before departing for Arunachal Pradesh where he will take part in two programmes.
“He will return to Assam later in the afternoon and inaugurate the 84-feet-tall statue of legendary Ahom general Lachit Borphukan at Jorhat with a 41-feet-tall pedestal. He will address a public rally at Meleng Meteli where the PM will inaugurate several central and state government projects,” Sarma informed.
The PM will deliver 5,55,555 houses to Pradhan Mantri Gramin Awaas Yojana (PMGAY) beneficiaries and inaugurate the new Tinsukia Medical College and Hospital. He will also lay the foundation stone of Sivasagar Medical College and Hospital. A cancer care unit for children valued at ₹300 crores will be inaugurated virtually.
“He will inaugurate several petroleum projects, including the expansion in capacity of oil refineries in Digboi and Guwahati in Assam. The PM will also inaugurate several railway projects,” the CM said.