Guwahati, June 5: Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday termed the BJP-led alliance’s performance in the Lok Sabha elections as a “historic victory” in the state.
Notably, the ruling alliance, comprising the BJP, AGP and UPPL, had bagged 11 out of the 14 Lok Sabha seats in Assam, increasing their 2019 tally by two. Congress bagged the remaining three seats.
“Historic victory in Assam! Since 1985, no single political formation has won more than 10 seats in parliamentary elections from Assam. Today, BJP and its allies have made history by winning 11 seats! This remarkable verdict will inspire us to work even harder for the people of Assam. Thank you for your trust and support!” the chief minister stated in a post on social media platform, X.
Sarma also reminded that his prediction of the ruling alliance securing at least 11 seats came true. “You keep on asking me whether the BJP alliance would bag 12 seats. But I never projected a win by 12 seats,” he told reporters here.
The chief minister also termed the NDA’s victory and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s feat of securing a third term as a historic achievement.
“It is a historic achievement. Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji has secured a third term by winning 142 more seats than the number two party,” he said.
Sarma said that the NDA has secured 240 Lok Sabha seats while the nearest rival, Congress has secured just 98 seats. “So, the difference between us (NDA) and the Congress is 142 seats. This is a unique achievement. For the first time after Jawaharlal Nehru, Prime Minister Modi has achieved such a feat. So, we must celebrate the victory,” the chief minister said.
Sarma said that no party governing Assam had ever won these many Lok Sabha seats in the state. “Not even (former chief minister) Tarun Gogoi could achieve this feat,” he said.
The chief minister also termed Congress leader Rakibul Hussain as “the hero of the day” for his massive victory in Dhubri. “The biggest victory belonged to Rakibul Hussain who defeated Ajmal in Dhubri by over 10 lakh votes. He won by the highest winning margin in the country, and so he is the hero of the day,” Sarma said.
The notable aspect of this year’s Lok Sabha poll outcome in Assam was AIUDF chief Badruddin Ajmal’s defeat in Dhubri, a seat he has won for three consecutive terms.
Besides, the return of regional party Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) to Lok Sabha after a decade, is another significant takeaway for the party.
Former minister and AGP leader Phani Bhusan Choudhury defeated Congress’ Deep Bayan by a margin of 222351 votes to win the Barpeta parliamentary seat.
The chief minister praised the regional party, which contested two Lok Sabha seats this time, for the vote share the regional party managed to garner in the two seats, and its return to Parliament after 10 years.