Assembly elections over, BJP sets sights on Lok Sabha polls

GUWAHATI: The assembly elections in the three NE states have just got over and BJP is already busy charting the roadmap for next year's general elections.
On Wednesday, the saffron party had convened a meeting with chief ministers and deputy chief ministers of BJP-ruled NE states in New Delhi to discuss preparations for the parliamentary elections and also to take stock of implementation of Centre's welfare schemes in the respective states. It is believed that a favourable outcome in Tripura, Meghalaya and Nagaland will not only help BJP expand its footprint in the northeast but will also act as a big morale booster for the party before the Lok Sabha polls.

The meeting was held in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP president Amit Shah, finance minister Arun Jaitley, Union ministers and central party leaders.

Assam CM Sarbananda Sonowal, Manipur CM N Biren Singh and Arunachal Pradesh CM Pema Khandu were present at the meeting. BJP's march to the northeast started with Assam where it first won seven out of 14 parliamentary seats in 2014 and then emerged as the largest party in the 2016 assembly polls. After this, the saffron party set sights on Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur - the two states where they are in power now.

While the meeting focused on the all-India aspect of the saffron party's preparations for the Lok Sabha polls, a senior BJP leader from New Delhi said the presence of chief ministers of three NE states is crucial because the party wants to increase MP seats from the region in the coming parliamentary election. The northeast has 25 MP seats of which seven from Assam and one from Arunachal Pradesh are with BJP.

"Our party's prospects in the coming Lok Sabha polls also depend on the outcome of the assembly elections in Tripura, Meghalaya and Nagaland. If we are successful in these states, we can expand our party in the northeast further. At the same time, we are also focusing on increasing our tally where BJP is in power in the three NE states," the leader said.

Compared to past elections, BJP's presence in Tripura, Meghalaya and Nagaland was quite noticeable this time. While it emerged as a major contestant against the well-entrenched Manik Sarkar government in Tripura, the saffron party tied up with its trusted ally and former chief minister Neiphiu Rio's Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party in Nagaland to make its presence felt in the Christian-majority state's politics more prominently. In Meghalaya, also a Christian-majority state, BJP tried to cash in on the anti-incumbency mood among the electorate and played the development card.

On March 3, when the election results will be declared, it will be clear whether BJP is successful in making the northeast free of Left and Congress rule. It is also to be seen whether BJP is able to scale up its stake in Nagaland politics from being a 'fringe player'.