5 hrs ago
Himanta Says Minority Voters Support BJP Ahead of Nagaon Bypoll
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma says some minority voters support the BJP.
He especially pointed to Muslim-majority areas in the Nagaon constituency.
He said the BJP received more than 40,000 votes in four such assembly segments.
Sarma said the party’s support comes from its claims of development, peace and harmony.
The BJP is contesting a bypoll in Nagaon.
Its candidate is Debashish Sharma.
Congress and AIUDF have also nominated candidates.
Voting is scheduled for October 6, but the report gives a conflicting date for counting.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said minority communities, including Muslims, have supported and voted for the BJP.
He cited more than 40,000 BJP votes in the minority-dominated Dhing, Rupohihat, Samaguri and Laharighat assembly segments during the last Lok Sabha election.
Sarma attributed support across communities to the BJP government’s development, peace and social harmony claims.
The Nagaon bypoll features BJP’s Debashish Sharma, Congress’s Sibamoni Bora and AIUDF’s Badruddin Ajmal.
Polling is scheduled for October 6, while the report lists counting as April 9, creating a date discrepancy.
- Who
- Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Indian National Congress and the All India United Democratic Front are central to the report.
- What
- Sarma claimed that minority voters, including Muslims, support the BJP ahead of the Nagaon Lok Sabha bypoll.
- Where
- The contest concerns the Nagaon Lok Sabha constituency in Assam; Sarma made the remarks while speaking to reporters in Diphu.
- When
- Polling is scheduled for October 6; the report says counting will be on April 9, a date that conflicts with the polling schedule.
- Why
- The bypoll was necessitated after Congress MP Pradyut Bordoloi resigned from the Lok Sabha seat and his party to contest the Assembly election from Dispur as a BJP candidate, according to the report.
Skeptical or Opposition View
BJP View
Minority support
Skeptical or Opposition View
The opposition’s stronger performance in Rupohihat, Laharighat, Dhing and Samaguri—where it reportedly won by more than 1.50 lakh votes in each—suggests the BJP remains weaker in these segments.
BJP View
Himanta Biswa Sarma said the BJP receives a share of minority votes, citing more than 40,000 votes in the four minority-dominated segments.
Nagaon’s political direction
Skeptical or Opposition View
Sarma acknowledged that Nagaon is not traditionally a BJP seat, and the opposition has held substantial support in several segments.
BJP View
Sarma said a visible shift toward the BJP had emerged over the preceding month and predicted that winning the bypoll could help the party secure all 126 Assam Assembly seats in the next election.
Key facts
- BJP candidate
- Debashish Sharma, a former IAS officer
- Congress candidate
- Former MLA Sibamoni Bora
- AIUDF candidate
- Three-time MP Badruddin Ajmal
- BJP votes cited
- More than 40,000 votes in Dhing, Rupohihat, Samaguri and Laharighat during the last Lok Sabha election
- Polling date
- October 6
- Counting date reported
- April 9, although this conflicts with the stated polling schedule
- Assembly segments
- The constituency has eight assembly segments; the BJP won Morigaon, Raha, Jagiroad and Nagaon-Batadraba, while the opposition won the other four segments
Quotes
Himanta Biswa Sarma
Assam chief minister discussing minority support for the BJP
“The percentage may be low, but we do get a certain share of their support and votes. We are hoping that in the forthcoming bypolls, this might increase further,”
theprint.in
“It is for this reason that people from all communities, minorities as well as majorities, vote for the BJP and we have evidence on this from the last elections,”
theprint.in
Sources
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