Top News

BJP candidate from New Guwahati Assembly seat of Assam, Diplu Ranjan Sarma, on Saturday launched a scathing attack on the Congress, saying that the party’s organizational base in the state has shrunk considerably and is now limited to only a few limited areas.

Speaking to reporters during the election campaign, Sarma said, “Except a few areas, Congress has no real existence left in the entire state.” He alleged that Congress has lost public trust due to its failure to present an effective governance model.

He said that now voters are voting on the basis of work and performance, not just political rhetoric. Expressing confidence in BJP’s development agenda, Sarma said that the public is seeing which party is capable of giving results.

Rejecting the allegations of being an ‘outsider’ raised by the opposition regarding his candidature, he said he has been living in Guwahati for the last 25 years. He questioned, “How can I be called an outsider after living here for so long?”

Making a comparison, he said that Rahul Gandhi had contested from Wayanad Lok Sabha seat and former Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi had contested from Margherita Assembly seat, so were they called outsiders?

Emphasizing on development issues, Sarma said Guwahati needs planned urban expansion, better infrastructure and permanent solutions to problems like traffic jams and waterlogging. He said that the BJP government has already shown its ability to work in these areas.

He mentioned employment generation, better health services and education facilities as his priorities. Sarma also said that the people of Guwahati want stability and development, which the BJP is committed to providing.

It is noteworthy that Sharma had demonstrated his political strength by winning the Samaguri assembly by-election in 2024. The seat was a Congress stronghold for a long time and was represented by Rakibul Hussain, who was elected Lok Sabha MP from Dhubri in the 2024 general election. He defeated Badruddin Ajmal in this election.

In the by-election, Congress had fielded Rakibul Hussain’s son Tanjeel Hussain as its candidate, but he had to face defeat at the hands of Diplu Ranjan Sarma.

Sarma’s victory was considered to be the result of his strong grassroots hold and effective election strategy, in which he won the support of different sections of voters.