Assam: BJP vs. BJP after losing Jorhat seat to Congress

By Chanshimla Varah

Jun 06, 2024

06:23 pm

What's the story

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma is facing internal criticism from his party, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), following a loss in the Jorhat Lok Sabha seat. The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) secured 11 out of 14 Lok Sabha seats in Assam but lost the Jorhat seat, where Sarma aggressively campaigned, to Congress candidate Gaurav Gogoi. This unexpected defeat has sparked rare dissent within the BJP, with some members publicly congratulating Gogoi on his victory.

Unusual rebuke

BJP MLAs publicly congratulate opposition's victory

Among those who congratulated Gogoi was BJP MLA Mrinal Saikia. "This result is very significant in Jorhat in many ways. The outcome proved that money, big publicity, overdoses of leaders and arrogant speeches does not always help to win elections," the BJP MLA from Assam's Khumtai wrote on X. Gogoi, who is the face of Congress in the Lok Sabha, won by a margin of 1.4 lakh votes.

Party tensions

Sarma responds to Saikia's criticism, predicts defection

Sarma quickly responded to Saikia's criticism, suggesting that he would soon defect to the Congress. "Mrinal Saikia did not congratulate Narendra Modi on his victory, but he did congratulate opposition party winner Gaurav Gogoi on his victory. Owing to this action of his, it is my belief that he will not be a BJP member for too long now," Sarma was quoted as saying. However, Saikia dismissed these remarks as speculation and reaffirmed his long association with the BJP.

Wider discontent

Internal criticism in Assam BJP extends beyond Jorhat loss

The internal criticism within the BJP in Assam is not limited to the Jorhat loss. During the Lok Sabha election campaign, former Minister of State for Railways Rajen Gohain criticized Sarma for seeking Muslim votes after speaking against them. Gohain also warned that the newer batch of BJP leaders were gradually sidelining older members and tampering with party ideology. "We hope State BJP president (Bhabesh Kalita) will apprise...national president (J.P. Nadda) of such views for necessary action," Gohain said.