Modi gives the final push to BJP's Assam campaign

Says Congress is going to see a repeat of 2014 at the state elections

Giving the final push to BJP's political blitzkrieg in Assam, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said the fate of Congress in Assam would be the same that happened with the party in 2014. "The Congress came down to 40 in 2014 in Delhi. The same fate is now reserved for them in Assam. They are going to be wiped out of the state. Over the years, the taste of people have changed. The new generation, particularly, do not anymore like hearing the same old promises of the Congress party. Fed up, they are now clamouring for change," said Modi, while addressing his final rally in Guwahati today.
 

Assam will go for the second and the final phase of polls on April 11. Around 61 constituencies, spread across central and lower Assam, will vote in the final phase, campaigning for which will end tomorrow. BJP, which for the first time finding itself as a serious contender for government formation in Assam. The party is fighting the election in tie-up with Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and Bodoland People's Front (BPF). Besides, it also has tie up with forces representing Tiwa and Rabha communities. The momentum that BJP has in its favour is also partly due to the strong anti-incumbency wave the ruling Congress party is battling.

The morale of BJP was bolstered after it performed surprisingly well in 2014 Lok Sabha election where it almost swept Upper Assam. The party won 7 seats our of 14 in Assam in 2014, riding on the 'Modi wave'. However, till then the party was an insignificant political force in the state. In the last assembly election, held in 2011, the party managed to bag just five seats.

This time too BJP is banking high on Upper Assam constituencies, where the polls were held on April 4 (first phase). The party knows Upper Assam's result would be decisive in deciding if BJP would be in a position to form the next government. The high voter turnout of around 82% in the first phase poll, say BJP leaders, indicate people voted for change and the anti-incumbency against the ruling Congress was evident.

The central and lower Assam constituencies are mostly Muslim dominated and the Congress had always performed well. But since All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF), headed by cleric Badruddin Ajmal, came in the political scene of Assam, the Muslim vote-base of Congress started shifting to the new party. Ajmal has a good appeal amongst the Bengali-speaking Muslims. With a pre-poll alliance between Congress and AIUDF failed to fructify, BJP and its alliance partners hope the Muslim votes would split between Congress and AIUDF and they would eventually benefit.

Asking the voters to give BJP and allied partners a clear majority, Modi said: "Dear brothers and sisters, ensure the next government of BJP, along with its coalition partners, get absolute majority. Few people desire that no party gets absolute majority and then they would run the government via remote control. We have seen for 10 years in Delhi what happens to the country when the government is run via remote control."

Taking at dig at star campaigners of Congress, which includes Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, he said when they could not rescue their fate in Delhi, how will they rescue Tarun Gogoi's fate in Assam. "After having conceded defeat in Upper Assam where elections were held on April 4, Gogoi has lined up a host of star campaigners from Delhi to rescue the party in the final phase of election. These people once had 400 seats in Lok Sabha and now have been reduced to just 40 seats. When they could not rescue themselves in Delhi how will they rescue Gogoi in Assam," said Modi.

Modi, who arrived in the city last evening, today addressed four election rallies in the state.