Himanta Biswa Sarma Says BJP Identified Candidates For Half Of Constituencies
Slams Opposition, Accuses Congress of trading tickets
Guwahati: Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma who on Monday launched his party’s wall-painting campaign while targeting the Congress party said that in over half of the state’s constituencies in which the BJP will contest the party has already identified a single, consensus candidate.
Asserting that the party has already finalised the candidates in around 50 constituencies, the chief minister told reporters that there are only 10-12 constituencies where the party will have the problem of multiple candidates.
Clarifying that there is no internal conflict over ticket distribution, Mr Sarma said, “We have a unique selection process unlike other parties, including the Congress, individuals cannot apply for a ticket in the BJP and that there is no requirement for money or formal application forms.”
Pointing out that candidates are proposed by party workers to the State Committee based on their merit and service, the chief minister said that sitting district presidents will not be eligible for party tickets.
Launching a frontal attack on the Congress party which has called for application from the ticket aspirants in the state, Mr Sarma said trading of tickets was going on in the Congress party.
The chief minister said, “In the Congress, tickets are being auctioned for anything between Rs 3 crore to Rs 5 crore. Some leaders have already begun collecting money promising tickets to aspirants to contest the elections.”
Claiming that trading for tickets in the Congress party was largely in the Muslim dominated constituencies of the state the chief minister went on saying that it is the “misfortune of Miyas” that they pay money to the Congress and vote too for the party in elections only to see the party turning a blind eye during crisis situations. He noted that Congress leaders disappear when minority populations, particularly Miyas of Bangladeshi origin, face challenges like evictions.
The chief minister who earlier claimed that the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its allies in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) are likely to win 103 of the 126 seats in the assembly polls scheduled in March–April this year said that Congress party never came to rescue its Miya voters who are going to face another eviction drive of the government in Tezpur soon.
Indicating that his party will give preference to women candidates on winnability criteria, Mr Sarma on the prospect of his party in the forthcoming elections said, “I wouldn’t like to give an exact figure, but this time we have a chance of winning 103 seats. Earlier that probability was around 90 seats, but with the delimitation of seats that number has gone up by another 13–15 seats.”
The chief minister said that his party was ready for election. “The party has already initiated talks with its alliance partners—AGP, UPPL and BPF in addition to Rabha and Mising tribal groups,” the chief minister said.
