Will the Bihar debacle change the political course of BJP in Assam?

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Syeda Ambia Zahan

Assam is one of the four states that is going poll early next year. After the Bihar debacle all eyes set on the only Congress dominated state among the other four, i.e. Kerala, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. After the saffron party faced debacle in the country's most watched election saga, Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi is going all smiling while looking at a possible fourth term.

The three time CM who seems to be energized by the poll result of Bihar, said, "In Bihar, Modi had to campaign as a leader of opposition and you can see the results now. The secular force will not let the communal force to co-exist."

The Bihar election has changed the political course of BJP in Assam. Political scientists feel for Narendra Modi who ensures that at least one central minister visits the poll bound states every week, "Mission 84" is a  Mission impossible. Right after the Bihar debacle, Assam BJP president Sidhartha Bhattacharjee wasted no time to admit that "there  were surely some major mistakes in Bihar strategy: and that the party will "review and rectify" and , "it will also be an opportunity to revise and redraw our strategy on the basis of the Bihar failure."

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Though the BJP president expressed confidence in oust Congress effort, it is no more a secret that the party is facing huge criticism for its unfulfilled promises and communal stand in Assam. BJP's U turn on certain issues like big Dam and deportation of illegal Bangladeshi nationals, prise rise have dissatisfied the common mass across the state, the latest being the decision of sheltering minority refugees from neighbouring states.

Though Assam BJP in-charge Mahendra Singh had put a brave face while saying that one cannot draw conclusions for Assam from the outcome of Bihar election, many within the saffron party here felt that the latest electoral performance would force them to have a relook into its overall poll strategies vis-a-vis the 2016 state election.

"So far as politics is concerned Bihar and Assam are altogether significantly different. There will be no impact whatsoever in Assam. BJP in Assam has significantly grown in its strength and people of the state are looking forward to our party as alternative to Congress," Singh argued.

But on condition of anonymity, a senior party leader in State BJP has confessed that the way the party performed in Bihar is "going to have some impact in Assam."

Though BJP has induced many former Congress MLAs including the influential Himanta Biswa Sharma, there are reports of unease within the party following the induction. Growing dissatisfaction has been seen among many MLAs as these newly inducted former Congress MLAs are too in the race of obtaining a ticket to save their nose. In such a scenario, Bihar has almost changed the political landscape of BJP in another state which the party was most certain to rule in.