BJP confirms no statewide alliance for panchayat polls, local tie-ups possible
The panchayat polls will be held in January-February next year.
BJP is confident of winning good support from members of the Muslim community in the panchayat elections.
Guwahati, Dec 7: The State BJP will authorise its district unit presidents to enter into tie-ups at the local level with other constituents of the ruling NDA in the upcoming panchayat elections in Assam. The panchayat polls will be held in January-February next year.
"We shall contest the panchayat polls on our own. BJP is not going to have a state wide alliance with any other party for the elections. However, there are parties like the AGP and UPPL that are part of the NDA. Therefore, if there is any scope for adjustment or understanding with our allies at the district, block, or local levels based on mutual respect, then discretionary power in such cases would be given to our party's district unit presidents to arrive at such an arrangement. They can form alliances locally if that is possible and suitable for the party.
Otherwise, we are going solo," member of the State BJP executive committee Vijay Kumar Gupta told this newspaper. This time, the polls will be held without the use of party symbols at the gaon panchayat (GP) level. However, use of party symbols will be allowed in the anchalik panchayat (AP) and zila parishad (ZP) tiers. As such, candidates of all political parties will have to contest as Independents for GP wards.
"Our GP-level candidates will adhere to the party's ideology and principles even as they contest without a common party symbol. The main fight in the panchayat polls will be at the booth level. Therefore, we are working to strengthen our organisation at the booth level. In the BJP, a booth committee comprises 12 members in addition to 12 page in-charges (party members responsible for coordinating with all the electors having their names in a single page of the voters' list). So we have 24 dedicated cadres in each booth," Gupta said. The saffron party is confident of doing well in the rural elections.
"There is no anti-incumbency factor against our party. We are optimistic about sweeping the polls. Our organisation is present all across the state. The people of Assam have benefitted from the social welfare schemes of the central and state governments. Citizens have appreciated initiatives like the distribution of free food grains, Orunodoi, PM Awas Yojana, health insurance schemes, and fee waivers for students. Unlike what was the case during previous administrations, the benefits of schemes are reaching the targeted segments under the BJP dispensation, and middlemen have been eliminated," Gupta said.
After the results of the recent bye-election in Samaguri LAC, the BJP is confident of winning good support from members of the Muslim community in the panchayat elections.
"All the communities are with us. We performed remarkably well in the Karimganj Lok Sabha seat in the general elections earlier this year, as well as in the Samaguri Assembly constituency in the recent bye-elections. Both are minority-dominated. Our rivals used to say that winning in Samaguri is impossible for the BJP. But we won in Samaguri with a margin even bigger than in Behali or Dholai. Minorities have benefitted equally from our government's work and schemes. The BJP does not discriminate against any community. Muslims are coming out to support our party in large numbers in Assam," Gupta said.
Asked about the ongoing membership drive, he said, "Our membership in Assam has reached 66 lakh, including 70,000 active members. Offline membership remains open for those who were not able to avail themselves of membership online. We have formed new committees up to the booth level as part of the ongoing organisational restructuring exercise, which is being undertaken from the booth to the national level. There are 28,000 booths in Assam.
In over 25,000 of those, we have reconstituted our booth committees so far. Formation of mandal committees started on December 5 and is going to be completed by December 15. Then from December 16 to December 30, we shall finish reconstituting our party's district committees. Our new state president will be finalised by January 15."
By-
Pranjal Bhuyan