GUWAHATI, March 24 - Dismissing reports about dissatisfaction within the party over denial of Lok Sabha poll tickets to a majority of its incumbent MPs from Assam, the ruling BJP today said that the leaders whose names are missing from the list will be given senior organisational positions in the party in future.
Addressing a press conference here, BJP national general secretary Ram Madhav also exuded confidence that the ruling party will win from all the 10 constituencies in the State from which it is contesting in the forthcoming general elections.
�We have given candidature to a number of news faces in Assam this time. All MPs who have been denied tickets are campaigning on behalf of those candidates who have been selected. Those who did not secure nominations this time will be given important positions in the party and will continue to play a major role in the BJP in future...,� he said.
�There are no problems (regarding denial of nomination to sitting MPs). BJP is a disciplined party... Various aspects were taken into account by the party before finalising our candidates... The central leadership of the party held detailed discussions with the State leaders,� Madhav said.
He said that people of Assam and the Northeast have benefited a lot due to the various schemes and policies of the Narendra Modi-led NDA government. �We will win 10 out of the 10 seats in Assam that we are contesting. And we are also extending all help to our alliance partners as well... In the Northeast as a whole, we are confident that the North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA) will be able to secure at least 20 out of the total 25 seats from the region,� Madhav said.
NEDA convenor and State Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, State Education Minister Siddhartha Bhattacharya, Guwahati MP Bijoya Chakravarty, Mangaldai MP Ramen Deka and the BJP candidate for the Guwahati constituency Queen Oja were present during the press conference.
Both Chakravarty and Deka are among the five sitting MPs of the BJP in Assam who have been dropped by the party this time.
�Our party has a culture of giving opportunity to new faces. We are not a dynasty centric party,� the BJP national general secretary said, adding that all sitting MPs were kept in the loop regarding the discussions within the party in the run-up to final selection of candidates.
Madhav added that Sarma�s name was dropped from the panel of candidates for the Tezpur constituency to allow the NEDA convenor to focus on electioneering in the entire northeastern region. He said Sarma also figures prominently in Prime Minister Modi�s vision for developing the Northeast.
Asked about the BJP giving candidature to a number of sitting MLAs in Assam to contest the Lok Sabha elections, Madhav said, �Fielding elected representatives is not a new thing. The party, after considering all aspects, found the best candidates among sitting legislators. Once they get elected to the Lok Sabha (and resign their membership of the Assembly), the party will replace them in the Assembly with other best candidates.�
He accused the Congress of entering into an �unholy alliance� with the AIUDF in Assam. �The opposition does not have the guts to face the BJP. So, all types of holy and unholy alliances are being formed. We believe that the people of Assam will reject this unholy alliance,� Madhav said.
He claimed that there is an �even bigger wave� in favour of Modi now than was the case in 2014. Madhav exuded confidence that the BJP will win more seats on its own nationally as compared to its 2014 tally and that the NDA is heading towards securing a two-thirds majority this time.
�Assam will also contribute in a bigger way this time in bringing back Modi to power and I am sure that Assam will get more representation in the next Modi government,� Madhav said, adding, Modi will visit Assam and the Northeast three times for campaigning. While the first visit will be on March 30, the Prime Minister will visit the region twice in April.
Madhav said though there is no formal seat-sharing between the BJP and its NEDA partners in many states of the region, all will support Modi as Prime Minister after the polls and added that the NEDA as a front will continue to function.
He said that the BJP is sure to win the Assembly polls in Arunachal Pradesh, which are being held simultaneously with the Lok Sabha elections.
