GUWAHATI: If the 2016 election revolved around Narendra Modi and his vow to free the state of infiltrators, the 2021 election was all about the identity of Assamese and indigenous people. Development and employment were lesser issues.
Assam, except the Bengali-inhabited Barak Valley, erupted in protests in December 2019 when the Centre passed the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill. Five people were killed in the protests and numerous others were injured in the anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) protests that sparked a chain reaction across the Brahmaputra Valley.
Leading organizations like the All Assam Students’ Union (Aasu), Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS) and Asam Sahitya Sabha expressed solidarity with the protesters to safeguard the indigenous identity for months till the pandemic brought protests to a grinding halt in March next year. The identity of the Assamese and other indigenous people took centrestage when the momentum shifted towards electioneering.
The ruling BJP and the Opposition Congress in Assam have all but junked the exit polls announced on Thursday evening since these were not “exact” polls with the former even releasing its own “exit” polls.
Assam state BJP president Ranjeet Kumar Dass released the party’s two-page assessment, referred to party insiders as their own exit polls, complete with the seats the party was winning as well as the seats of its allies Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and United People’s Party Liberal (UPPL ) were winning.
The BJP’s “winnability” list shows the ruling party bagging 70 seats while the AGP eight and UPPL five, much more than the simple majority mark of 64 in a house of 126. It has also listed 21 seats as doubtful,which means it could go either way.
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Badruddin Ajmal s AIUDF claims 5-6 BJP contestants in their touch to support Grand Alliance
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Last Updated: Apr 13, 2021, 04:29 PM IST
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Karim Uddin Barbhuiya, one of the around 20 AIUDF candidates who were flown to Jaipur last week due to fear of poaching by the saffron party, said, five-six BJP contestants have contacted me offering their support to the Grand Alliance .
(Badruddin Ajmal)
The AIUDF on Tuesday claimed that five-six BJP contestants in the just concluded Assam Assembly elections have contacted the party promising support to the Congress-led Grand Alliance of which Badruddin Ajmal s outfit is a constituent. Karim Uddin Barbhuiya, one of the around 20 AIUDF candidates who were flown to Jaipur last week due to fear of poaching by the saffron party, said, five-six BJP contestants have contacted me offering their support to the Grand Alliance .