GUWAHATI, Oct 11 - National integration and security, good governance and development of all sections of society and communities will be the major poll plank of the ruling BJP for the forthcoming bypolls to four Assembly constituencies of Assam.
State BJP vice president Vijay Kumar Gupta told The Assam Tribune on Friday the party has launched a full-scale election campaign across the four constituencies.
�While bypolls mainly relate to specific local factors, we are contesting these elections taking into account national and state-level issues, in addition to matters related to each individual constituency,� Gupta said.
�We are talking about issues like national integration and security challenges. The Narendra Modi government took bold decisions on Article 370 and 35A as well as on triple talaq, which no other party could gather the courage to do in the past 70 years. Secondly, the BJP governments, both in Delhi and Dispur, have a track record of good governance. Our development agenda follows the mantra of �Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas�. Development has touched even remote and far-flung areas of the state and all communities have benefited. In our campaign for the bypolls, we are focusing on all these points,� he said.
He said a team of state-level office-bearers of the party have been assigned to each of the four constituencies for campaign.
Bypolls will be held for the four seats of Sonari, Rangapara, Ratabari and Jania on October 21, and counting of votes will be taken up on October 24. These seats fell vacant after the legislators representing them got elected to the Lok Sabha in the recent polls and resigned from the Assembly. Kripanath Mallah (Ratabari), Pallab Lochan Das (Rangapara) and Topon Kumar Gogoi (Sonari) � all from the BJP � besides Abdul Khaleque of the Congress (Jania) vacated their Assembly seats after getting elected to the Lok Sabha.
�We are 100 per cent confident of retaining Sonari, Rangapara and Ratabari. As far as Jania is concerned, we are giving a good fight in that constituency as well and our party is hopeful of wresting the seat this time,� Gupta said.
He said voters belonging to the Muslim community are flocking to the BJP in large numbers. Jania is a minority-dominated constituency.
�Once the EVMs are opened and results are out, you will be surprised to see the kind of votes we secure in Jania. Some people may now express scepticism about our chances in Jania but the results will prove them wrong,� Gupta said.
The ruling party has fielded Bijay Malakar from Ratabari, Rajen Barthakur from Rangapara, Nabanita Handique from Sonari, and Towfiqur Rahman from Jania.
Gupta said the BJP�s local allies, including the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), are extending full support to it in the campaign. �We are getting full cooperation from the AGP. After all, we are allies,� he said.
Sources in the ruling party said Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal is expected to campaign in all the four constituencies. He is likely to address rallies in the four seats between October 14 and 18.
