Odishatv Bureau

Guwahati: The ruling BJP along with the allies would retain power in Assam and it would secure "at least 100 seats" in the next year's election to the 126-member state Assembly, the party's National Vice-President Baijayant Jay Panda claimed on Thursday.

Panda, who is the Assam in-charge for the saffron party, while talking to the media said that the Bharatiya Janata Party is fully confident of securing "the mission of 100 plus seats" by the party along with the allies.

"BJP's position and organisational strength in Assam are very strong and all section of the people of the state in vast numbers support Prime Minister Narendra Modi as well as party's development plan.

"The election results of the last week's BTC (Bodoland Territorial Council) polls once again confirmed that BJP's acceptance is on the rise in all regions of the state," said Panda, who came here on Wednesday on a two-day visit to the state to oversee the party's preparedness for the next year's assembly elections.

The BJP had wrested power from the Congress in Assam in 2016 by becoming the single largest party with 60 MLAs in the 126-member Assembly and formed an alliance with the Bodoland People's Front (BPF) and the Asom Gana Parishad, which won 14 and 12 seats, respectively. The ruling alliance also has the support of an Independent MLA.

The BJP after the outcome of the BTC polls, dumped the BPF and announced to support its new ally UPPL (United People's Party Liberal) and Gana Suraksha Parishad (GSP) to take power in the BTC.

The BJP fought against the BPF despite ruling Assam together since 2016 along with the AGP.

The election to the Assam legislative Assembly is likely to be held in April or May next year.

Replying to the question about the farmers' agitations in Delhi, BJP leader said : "It is complete falsity".

"Some people with motivation mislead the farmers. The fundamentals are very clear. None of the existing laws are being thrown away," he said, adding that the Agricultural Produce Market Committees (APMCs), mandis and Minimum Support Price (MSP) provisions would remain on exactly the same pattern on which it has been continued for so many decades.

The BJP Vice-President said that nothing is going to alter or change even as new options and opportunities are being created for the benefit of the farmers.

"With the help of the new act, avoiding the middlemen, the farmers would be able to directly sell their produce anywhere and they would get more margins.

"The farmers of the country were deprived of their rights for many decades, but now they would get their due benefits," he explained.

scrollToTop