GUWAHATI, March 16: BJP’s key poll strategist in Assam and senior minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma said that the party “is eyeing success in four to five seats out of eight constituencies in the first phase Assam Assembly elections that were won by candidates from other parties five years back.
Speaking to reporters here on Tuesday, Sarma said, “We are trying to enhance (BJP presence) in four to five seats among constituencies such as Jonai, Nazira, Doom Dooma, Sibsagar, Golaghat, Sarupathar, Mariani and Titabor which were not with BJP last time.”
“If we can win four to five seats (out of the eight) in the first phase polls, then we can get close to winning 100 seats (in the 126-member Assam Assembly). Regarding such a prospect, we can only tell you precisely only by March 25,” he said.
It may be mentioned that sitting MLA, Ajanta Neog, who left Congress and joined BJP in December last year, will look to retain the Golaghat seat, but from the saffron party’s camp this time.
Sarma said BJP prospects in Titabor, (a constituency represented by veteran Congressman and three-time chief minister, late Tarun Gogoi for four terms since 2001) this time, appeared bright.
“From the feedback received from Titabor, our candidate, Hemanta Kalita seems to be leading in the poll campaign,” he said, before flying off to Biswanath Chariali to attend the first of the four poll rallies scheduled for the day.
On Sibsagar, where Raijor Dal president and anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) activist Akhil Gogoi would contest as an Independent, Sarma said that the Congress in Sibsagar was divided into two camps, a factor which could eventually benefit BJP.
“One camp is rooting for Akhil and the other for the party candidate…So if we can cash in on 1500 votes which the BJP can get out of this division in Congress, we should be successful in Sibsagar,” the senior BJP leader said.
The BJP-led alliance, also comprising Asom Gana Parishad and the Pramod Boro-led United People’s Party Liberal, is targetting “100 plus seats” in the three-phase Assam Assembly polls.