GUWAHATI, May 20 - The principal Opposition Congress party believes that there will be a major political realignment in Assam post declaration of the Lok Sabha election results on May 23.
�Wait for May 23. After the results of the Lok Sabha polls are out, there will be a major change. There will be a realignment of forces,� Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) general secretary and senior spokesperson Apurba Bhattacharya told The Assam Tribune today.
He alleged that the BJP, which is the senior partner in the ruling alliance, is not following �coalition dharma�.
�BJP was able to capture power in Assam only because of the help it received from its partners like the AGP and the BPF. However, the saffron party has now started encroaching upon the respective political space of its allies,� Bhattacharya said.
He added, �Unlike the local NDA constituents in Assam, the BJP�s allies in other North Eastern states have realised the designs of the senior alliance partner. That is why the NPF has announced that it will withdraw support from the BJP-led State government in Manipur. The time has now come for BJP�s local allies in Assam to also take a similar step.� Bhattacharya pointed to the claims made by State BJP president Ranjeet Kumar Dass yesterday regarding the possible outcome of the Lok Sabha polls in Assam.
Citing feedback from BJP�s cadres at the booth level, Dass had yesterday said that his party will win all the 10 Lok Sabha seats it contested in Assam, while its allies AGP and BPF, which had together fielded candidates in four constituencies, will draw a blank.
�Dass� claim clearly shows the kind of opinion the BJP has towards its allies. The State BJP president has also declared that his party will contest the forthcoming municipal election in Assam on its own and without any alliance. It amply demonstrates what the condition of the junior NDA partners will be in the coming days. They (AGP and BPF) will become irrelevant if they continue to side with the BJP,� speculated the Congress leader.
He, however, dismissed the BJP�s claim of winning 10 seats in Assam.
The BJP�s position is such that they had to fight the polls seeking votes in the name of Narendra Modi and not their individual candidates. The ruling party was forced to drop most of its sitting MPs in Assam due to anti-incumbency and non-performance.
It (BJP) faced a virtual public rebellion in the State over the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill-2016. The Modi government has no such achievement to its credit that people of Assam would have voted for the BJP. Dass� claims are made on the basis of some so-called feedback from the BJP�s own party machinery and not some neutral body. All parties make such assertions,� Bhattacharya said.
He claimed that the electorate of Assam cast �silent votes� against the BJP in the Lok Sabha polls.
�There was an undercurrent against the BJP and that fact will be borne by the results on May 23. I can say with confidence that the Congress will win at least six to eight seats in Assam,� predicted the APCC general secretary.
