Assam BJP chief Dilip Saikia confident of ‘historic mandate’ in assembly polls

GUWAHATI, March 27: State BJP president Dilip Saikia has expressed confidence about the NDA receiving a ‘historic mandate’ in the April 9 Assam Assembly elections, backed by what he termed as the impressive performance of the ruling front’s government in Dispur during the last one decade.

In an exclusive interaction with The Assam Tribune, Saikia also asserted the principal opposition Congress party will face a decisive rout in the elections this time.

“The main issues of the BJP in the coming polls will be development of Assam and security of the State and its citizens. We want to continue the journey of development ushered over the last 10 years of NDA rule in the State and take it to new heights. Simultaneously, we are sending out the message that the BJP-led NDA government has taken resolute measures to not only improve the law and order situation in Assam, but also to safeguard and preserve the language, culture, and heritage, and the land and the people of the State. And we are committed to continue our efforts in that direction,” he said.

Saikia claimed that the State has witnessed progress on all fronts under the BJP-led dispensation.

“Our government’s performance has been unprecedented and momentous. In the post-Independence period, no other government achieved as much for Assam as the incumbent one. It was more than what many expected. We have been able to more or less satisfy the aspirations of the masses and we also fulfilled the various commitments the BJP made to the citizens of Assam. The BJP has tried to live up to the expectations of the people,” he said.

Asked about the ruling bloc’s target in the elections, Saikia said, “The number (of seats) will be decided by the electorate. But, on our part, we are fighting to secure a historic win. We are looking to a kind of victory that has never been achieved earlier in any elections to the Assam Assembly. Our vote share will also go up substantially.”

He asserted that the electorate will compare between the pre-2016 and post-2016 Assam. “It is like the contrast between the sky and the ground,” said the State BJP president.

Saikia said the NDA was able to arrive at a smooth seat-sharing arrangement for the Assembly polls.

“NDA’s vote is 100 per cent transferable among the various constituents of the grouping. All the alliance partners – BJP, AGP, BPF, TMPK, Ganashakti, and the Rabha Hasong Joutha Sangram Samiti – will undertake joint campaigning across the State. At the local level, we have constituted steering committees and election management committees for coordination among the workers of all the parties,” he added.

Saikia alleged that the Congress party always followed a policy to deliberately sideline the indigenous communities of Assam.

“The Congress party did nothing but indulge in misrule during the 55 years when it governed Assam. It conspired to turn the indigenous people into a minority in their own land. Besides, Congress rule was marked by lack of development. It resulted in backwardness and serious deterioration of the law and order situation. Assam became one of the poorest states of India under successive Congress regimes. The Congress party is now paying for its sins and the voters of Assam will once again deliver a big blow to the Congress in the coming elections. The Congress party will pay a heavy price for its politics of appeasement and vote bank, and its anti-Assam and anti-indigenous stand,” Saikia said.

He said the AIUDF has been able to somewhat regain its old base, following the drubbing suffered by the Badruddin Ajmal-led party in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

“As such, there will be a contest between the Congress and the AIUDF in the Muslim-dominated constituencies but it is uncertain which of the two will get more seats in the coming elections,” Saikia said.

As part of the seat-sharing arrangement among the NDA partners for the 2026 Assembly polls, the BJP has fielded its nominees in 90 constituencies, while the AGP is in the fray in 26 seats and the BPF in 11. In the Sibsagar LAC, the BJP and the AGP are engaged in a ‘friendly contest’. In the 2021 Assembly elections, the NDA won 75 seats that included 60 by the BJP, nine by the AGP, and six by the UPPL.