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Regional parties dwindle as BJP surges in Assam

Last Updated 25 May 2019, 20:09 IST

As the BJP increasingly penetrates Assam’s indigenous communities and Hindu Bengalis, the fate of the state’s regional parties are being increasingly questioned over their dwindling popularity.

The results of the Lok Sabha polls this year has seen regional parties face the same question more vocally, as the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and Bodoland People’s Front (BPF) drew a blank. Of the 14 Lok Sabha seats, BJP contested 10 seats, AGP three and BPF one, as per the alliance.

Both the AGP and BPF did not win a seat in 2014 too. This, perhaps, had prompted the two parties to ally with BJP before the 2016 Assembly polls. They also fought the 2019 Lok Sabha polls together to avoid a 2014-like verdict. But according to political observers, the strategy has helped BJP at the cost of the two regional forces.

“Since BJP was not that strong before 2014, it was BJP’s calculated move to ally with the regional parties to make the saffron party acceptable among the state’s indigenous people. BJP succeeded in that but the regional forces have lost faith of the indigenous voters, who still strongly consider the BJP a communal force. As a result, AGP lost its Muslim vote bank too,” political observer and senior lawyer, Hafeez Rashid Chouhdury said.

Choudhury was among the founder leaders of All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF), the party formed in 2005 with the promise to champion the causes of the state’s minorities—both immigrant Muslims and Hindu Bengalis. He, however, left the AIUDF alleging that the party led by perfume baron, Badruddin Ajmal, deviated from the real causes.

Ajmal provided AIUDF the first Lok Sabha seat by winning in Dhubri in 2009 and bagged two more minority dominated seats—Barpeta and Karimganj in 2014. But this time, the party has won only Dhubri seat (Ajmal for the third time), out of the three seats it contested.

“Most minorities voted for AIUDF hoping that it would address their citizenship concerns, education and healthcare. These issues were neglected by Congress, whom they had voted for till 2005. But AIUDF deviated from the real issues and became a party of a few leaders. So the minorities are going back to Congress again. Also they realised that only Congress can counter BJP at the Centre,” Choudhury said.

Prafulla Kumar Mahanta, who led the AGP government twice (1985-1990 and 1996-2001) said the alliance with BJP cost the regional party as the saffron party was bent on “destroying identity of the indigenous people” by passing the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill.

BJP’s Lok Sabha count in Assam increased from four in 2009 to seven in 2014 and nine this time. Congress' tally decreased from seven in 2009 to three in 2014 and 2019.

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(Published 25 May 2019, 15:46 IST)

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