Assam: BJP draws a blank in all migrant Muslim seats

GUWAHATI: The state BJP, which targeted to pocket at least seven migrant Muslim-majority seats in the 2021 assembly elections, could not succeed in their mission despite all-out efforts.
“The people living in those constituencies were polarised by Congress and All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) successfully as they played the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC) card. Though BJP has failed to alter the wave in those areas, the party has given a tough fight,” a party source said.
The significant migrant Muslim majority seats, where BJP fought are Jania, Jaleswar, Baghbar, Salmara South and Bilasipara West in lower Assam while Laharighat and Rupohihat in central Assam and Sonai in Barak Valley. On the other hand, BJP’s key ally Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) contested in three important Muslim majority seats – Chenga, Dalgaon and Jamunamukh.
BJP and AGP faced heavy defeats in all aforementioned seats despite giving tickets to Muslim candidates to woo the voters. An average of 70-80% population is Muslim in these seats.
BJP candidate Shahidul Islam was defeated by AIUDF candidate Rafiqul Islam by a massive 1,44,775 votes in Jania constituency while BJP candidate Osman Goni was defeated by Congress candidate Aftab Uddin Mollah with a margin of over 61,000 votes in Jaleswar.
Meanwhile, Congress leader Sherma Ali Ahmed retained Baghbar constituency defeating BJP candidate Hasinara Khatun with over 76,000 votes. Congress candidate Wazed Ali Choudhury managed to save the Salmara South constituency by defeating BJP candidate Asadul Islam with over 1 lakh votes. In Bilasipara West, BJP’s Abu Bakar Siddique lost to AIUDF’s Hafiz Bashir Ahmed by 63,475 votes.
Meanwhile, AGP candidates Rabiul Hussain, Habibur Rahman and Sadik Ullah Bhuyan were defeated by AIUDF in Chenga, Dalgaon and Jamunamukh, respectively. Hussain was defeated by Ashraful Hussain by 51,939 votes, while Rahman was defeated by Mazibur Rahman by 89,998 votes in Dalgaon. Bhuyan too bit the dust, losing to AIUDF’s Siraj Uddin Ajmal by over 1 lakh votes in Jamunamukh.
BJP could not snatch Laharighat and Rupohihat from Congress as Asif Mohammed Nazar defeated BJP’s Kadiruzzaman Zinnah, while Congress’s Nurul Huda defeated BJP’s Najir Hussain.
In Sonai, BJP’s Aminul Haque Laskar was the last hope for the party. He had defeated Congress’s Anamul Haque by over 7,000 votes in the 2016 assembly election and became an MLA. But, this time, AIUDF’s Karim Uddin Barbhuyan defeated Laskar with a margin of 19,654 votes.
No Muslim candidate of BJP won the assembly election. Thus, the party does not have a Muslim MLA now.