Tag : NEDA

Guwahati: Politics in Assam in the year ahead seems to be moving along the polarising highway, political pundits in the state point out. With Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma batting for the Uniform Civil Code and speaking up on love jihad and other polarising issues, understanding the signals does not require a high level of political acumen. Although Assam does not have any major elections slated for next year, the political environment is hot with Sarma at the centre. Three northeastern states -- Tripura, Meghalaya and Nagaland -- will go to the polls in early 2023. However, Assam will remain the epicentre of these state elections as Sarma, chairman of the North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA), will be the primary pulling force for the BJP's election machinery in these states. Meanwhile, Sarma is also eyeing to win at least 22 out of 25 Lok Sabha seats in the N-E 2024. Assam has 14 LS seats, and in the last parliamentary election, the BJP won nine seats. This time the party leaders have set a target to win at least 12 seats, leaving one or two seats that have a large number of Muslim votes. Sarma has formulated a strategy to achieve his target, which he tried and tested in the 2021 state election. He relies on the polarisation of votes. Assam has approximately 30% Muslim voters. The Chief Minister has stated unequivocally that he will not seek Muslim votes because they will not vote for the BJP anyway. A clever politician like Himanta Biswa Sarma knows perfectly well that his provocative statements against the Muslim community will consolidate the Hindu vote bank. He will cultivate this further over the next year, and it may reach its peak before the Lok Sabha elections. When in the Congress, Sarma was known for his liberal ima ...