GUWAHATI, June 4 - The feedback provided by booth-level cadres of the BJP to the party�s State leadership after conclusion of polling for the Lok Sabha election, but prior to the counting process, regarding the expected number of votes likely to be secured by the ruling NDA�s candidates in different constituencies of Assam proved to be very close to the real figures once the ballots were counted.
It is noteworthy that on May 19, just days before the counting of votes, State BJP president Ranjeet Kumar Dass had released a set of figures to the media. The charts, based on feedback from BJP�s booth-level cadres, had contained details regarding tentative voting patterns in favour of the NDA�s nominees in all the 14 Lok Sabha constituencies of Assam.
Based on feedback from its cadres, the State unit of the ruling party had then expressed confidence of winning in all the 10 out of the 14 Lok Sabha constituencies of Assam where BJP had itself contested. Dass had also said that its alliance partners, AGP and BPF, which together fielded candidates in the remaining four constituencies, are likely to draw a blank.
When the votes were counted on May 23 and results of the Lok Sabha polls declared, the BJP ended up winning nine out of the 10 seats it had contested, while AGP and BPF failed to open their account. The overall results were very close to what the party had predicted based on its booth-level cadres� feedback.
The final number of votes polled by the ruling party in different constituencies was also close to and at times even surpassed what was claimed by the cadres as the expected figures in their feedback before the BJP leadership.
While the BJP cadres had said that the party will secure 4.95 lakh votes in the Karimganj seat, it ultimately managed to poll 4.73 lakh votes in the constituency when the EVMs were finally checked.
In Silchar constituency, the BJP polled over 4.99 lakh votes as against an estimate of 4.65 lakh votes made by its cadres.
BJP secured 3.81 lakh votes in Autonomous District (Diphu) constituency compared to the pre-result estimate of four lakh votes.
In the Guwahati seat, the party had expected to secure 10.15 lakh votes. It ended up by getting 10.08 lakh votes when the results were declared.
Similarly in Mangaldai, the BJP polled 7.35 lakh votes as against an expected estimate of 7.65 lakh votes. BJP ultimately polled over 6.84 lakh votes in Tezpur constituency as against 6.70 lakh votes estimated by its cadres.
In Dibrugarh constituency, the final tally of the party stood at 6.59 lakh votes as compared to the cadres� estimate of 6.30 lakh votes, while in Lakhimpur constituency, the BJP secured 7.76 lakh votes as against an estimate of 7.60 lakh votes made as per the pre-result feedback.
BJP�s grassroot-level reports had suggested that its ally BPF will secure at least 4.70 lakh votes in Kokrajhar. When counting was carried out, it was found that BPF had polled over 4.46 lakh votes.
Only in Nagaon and Jorhat constituencies were the figures, based on the feedback from the cadres, way off the mark by over 30,000 votes than what the party in reality secured.
BJP polled 5.43 lakh votes in Jorhat, compared to its initial estimate of 5.85 lakh votes. Nevertheless, it managed to win the seat.
The party lost from Nagaon constituency after a gap of 20 years. It received 7.22 lakh votes in Nagaon, while the party�s cadres had expressed confidence about the BJP securing at least 7.70 lakh votes in the seat.
The figures regarding the voting pattern given by the BJP cadres in their reports were on target in many individual Legislative Assembly Constituency (LAC) segments across the State.
Dass had said that as per reports from the booth level, the party is likely to poll 45,000 votes in the Badarpur LAC segment of Karimganj Lok Sabha constituency. It finally ended up securing 45,297 votes in the segment.
Similarly, the party got 54,354 votes in Borkhola segment of Silchar constituency as against an estimate of 55,000 votes.
It received 1.02 lakh votes in Baithalangso segment of Diphu parliamentary constituency compared to an initial estimate of one lakh votes, while in Palasbari LAC segment under Guwahati constituency, it polled 80,664 votes compared to a likely estimate of 80,000 votes made by the BJP cadres.
Likewise, in Panery segment under Mangaldai Lok Sabha constituency, the party secured 70,334 votes as against an estimated 70,000 votes, while in Gohpur segment of Tezpur seat, it polled 95,447 votes compared to its initial expectation of 95,000 votes.
BJP got 82,336 votes in Barhampur LAC segment of Nagaon constituency as against the cadres� feedback suggesting a figure of 85,000 votes.
In Amguri segment of Jorhat Lok Sabha constituency, BJP polled 50,001 votes while its booth-level cadres� report had cited 50,000 votes as the likely tally before counting was done.
In Digboi LAC segment of Dibrugarh, the BJP polled 69,891 votes as against an estimate of 70,000 votes, while the party won 74,082 votes in Naoboisa segment of the Lakhimpur parliamentary seat compared to a pre-result estimate of 75,000 votes.
However, the BJP cadres� report regarding the likely votes to be secured by the AGP candidates in the three Lok Sabha constituencies of Dhubri, Barpeta and Kaliabor proved incorrect as the regional party polled much less than what was estimated in all the seats it was allocated in the Lok Sabha elections.
Neeraj Chetry cremated
Biswanath Chariali, June 4 - The last rites of martyred SSB jawan Neeraj Chetry was performed with full military honours at his birth place Karibil Nepali village under Halem Police Station in Biswanath district today . Meanwhile, the Assam Government has announced an ex-gratia of Rs 20 lakh to the deceased�s family. � Correspondent
