GUWAHATI: As the counting of votes begin on Friday in Assam, all eyes will be focused on how the BJP will perform in the polls riding on the ‘Modi wave’ against a confident Congress in the state.
Both the Congress and the BJP have contested in 13 out of the total 14 seats in Assam and the battle of the ballot is mainly confined between the two parties while the regional Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) hope for a better performance this time.
Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi while dismissing the impact of ‘so called Modi wave’ in the state has said that Congress would once again emerge the winner in majority of seats as people of Assam have been repeatedly supporting the party in all the elections held in the state since 2001.
“We have done nothing wrong to make people vote against us. The BJP’s Modi magic will not work here. We will win at least eight seats this time,” Gogoi said.
The Congress had won seven Lok Sabha seats in Assam in 2009 polls. On the other hand the BJP hopes to improve its tally to at least six seats this time as against four seats won by the party in 2009 election. The BJP hopes to snatch a few seats from Congress this time while Congress too is confident of trouncing the BJP in the final tally in the state.
The BJP won 4 seats in Assam – Guwahati, Nowgong, Mangaldoi and Silchar – in 2009 polls while Congress won seven seats – Dibrugarh, Lakhimpur, Jorhat, Kaliabor, Barpeta, Karimganj and Autonomous District .Regional Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) won only Tezpur seat and All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) won Dhubri seat.
On the counting day on Friday, the public focus will be mainly on Dibrugarh, Jorhat, Guwahati, Lakhimpur and Silchar constituencies while eyes will be on the result of Kaliabor constituency where Congress has fielded green horn Gourav Gogoi, the 31-year-old son of Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi. He is facing challenge from the BJP’s Mrinal Kumar Saikia.
In Dibrugarh veteran Congress leader from the tea tribe community and Union Minister Paban Singh Ghatowar is fighting a crucial poll battle with BJP’s Rameswar Teli while in Jorhat young BJP leader and Kamakhya Prasad Tasa is posing stiff challenge to veteran Congress leader and five-time MP and a former union minister Bijoy Krishna Handique.
In Guwahati BJP’s national vice-president and sitting MP Bijoya Chakraborty is keeping her fingers crossed as she is facing challenge from young Congress candidate Manas Borah, a Rahul Gandhi choice, and also from Birendra Prasad Baishya of the AGP.
The BJP’s state president and former students leaders Sarbananda Sonowal is hoping to snatch Lakhimpur seat this tie from the Congress by defeating sitting MP and union minister Ranee Narah.
In Silchar BJP’s senior leader and the sitting MP Kabindra Purkayasthya is being challenged by young Congress candidate and a sitting MLA, Sushmita Deb who happens to be the daughter of Santosh Mohan Deb, a Congress heavy weight from Assam.
In Mangaldoi constituency the sitting BJP MP Ramen Deka this time is on a loose ground vis-à-vis Congress candidate Kirip Chaliha given that the AIUDF had fielded a low profile candidate and that may have induced the sizeable religious minority voters to vote for Congress candidate.