Assam Chief Minister and Northeast Democratic Alliance-NEDA convenor Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma confidently asserted the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its National Democratic Alliance (NDA) allies will secure victory in 22 out of the 25 Lok Sabha seats across the Northeastern States in the upcoming general elections.
“Out of the 25 seats, NDA will win 22. That’s confirmed. We might not win 3 seats in Assam. The figure might increase to 23 seats for us as well. It’s going to be a simple election (for us). Nothing much to worry about,” he mentioned.
During the 2019 elections, the BJP secured 14 seats, while its allies clinched an additional 4, bringing the total for the NDA to 18. In Assam specifically, the BJP claimed victory in 9 seats, with the Congress securing 3 seats. Furthermore, the All India United Democratic Front-AIUDF and an Independent candidate each won one seat in the State.
“We will surely win 11 of the 14 Lok Sabha seats in Assam. There’s no competition there. And God willing, we might win 12 as well. Our candidates will win with margins of 100,000-200,000 votes this time. We are not too bothered about the elections and are focusing on development work,” Sarma said.
The BJP is set to contest on 11 seats in Assam, while its coalition partners Asom Gana Parishad and United Peoples Party Liberal-UPPL will field candidates in two seats and one seat, respectively.
In a press conference held in Guwahati, CM Himanta outlined Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s forthcoming two-day visit to Assam, commencing on Friday. During this visit, the PM is slated to inaugurate or lay the foundation stone for a host of Central and State Government projects valued at approximately ₹18,000 crore. The CM mentioned PM Modi will spend the night at the Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve (KNPTR). The following morning, he is expected to visit the park for approximately two hours before departing for Arunachal Pradesh, where he is slated to participate in two programs.
“He will return to Assam later in the afternoon and inaugurate the 84-feet-tall statue of legendary Ahom general Lachit Borphukan at Jorhat with a 41-feet-tall pedestal. He will address a public rally at Meleng Meteli where the PM will inaugurate several central and state government projects,” informed Dr Himanta.
During his visit, the PM will deliver 5,55,555 houses to beneficiaries of the Pradhan Mantri Gramin Awaas Yojana-PMGAY and will inaugurate the newly established Tinsukia Medical College and Hospital. Additionally, he will lay the foundation stone for the Sivasagar Medical College and Hospital. Furthermore, a cancer care unit for children, valued at ₹300 crores, will be inaugurated virtually as part of the PM’s itinerary.
“He will inaugurate several petroleum projects, including the expansion in capacity of oil refineries in Digboi and Guwahati in Assam. The PM will also inaugurate several railway projects,” stated the CM.
