GUWAHATI, Oct 27: Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday claimed that the BJP-led alliance will win at least “11.5” Lok Sabha seats out of 14 in the state in the general elections next year.
He also termed the Congress and All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) as “brothers”, who will again come together after a likely “unfavourable result” in the Lok Sabha polls.
“We will win 11.5 seats. We don’t have any problem with the rest of the parties dividing the remaining 2.5 seats,” Sarma told reporters.
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He was responding to queries on the meeting of the united opposition parties in Guwahati on Thursday.
“The AIUDF and Congress will also compete against each other in these 2.5 seats. They attack each other and again patch up. So, there is no point in interfering in brothers’ affairs,” the chief minister said.
Assam has 14 Lok Sabha constituencies, of which nine are presently represented by the BJP, three by Congress and one each by AIUDF and an Independent.
The Congress and AIUDF are not part of any common platform, although the latter is keen to join the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA). Both the parties were part of an alliance during Assam assembly polls in 2021.
“Who will guarantee that AIUDF and Congress won’t be friends again? If the Lok Sabha results are not favourable, then Delhi (Congress headquarters) will blame the absence of alliance between the two, and they will unite again in 2026,” Sarma said.
On Thursday, a meeting of 13 opposition parties under the banner of United Opposition Forum Assam was held here. At the meeting, two more parties decided to join the regional bloc.
The 15 opposition parties announced plans to prepare a state-specific common minimum programme by the end of November for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
A ‘chargesheet’ against BJP’s “propaganda and corruption” will also be prepared, they said.
The grouping also decided there will be one common opposition candidate against every BJP nominee in the polls.
It is worth mentioning that opposition parties in Assam are set to devise a state-specific common minimum program by November for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections next year, as confirmed by a senior Congress leader.
This decision was reached during a meeting of 13 opposition parties organized under the United Opposition Forum Assam, aligned with the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA).
Additionally, two more parties have committed to joining this regional alliance.
Assam Congress chief Bhupen Kumar Borah, expressing the unity displayed emphasized that this alliance was not limited to 2024 but would extend its collaboration into the 2026 Assembly polls and beyond.
Following the meeting, he informed reporters that the opposition parties explored initial strategies aimed at defeating the BJP-led alliance in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
