‘BJP CAN REPLACE CONG IN ASSAM’
Union minister Sarbananda Sonowal, who was virtually anointed as the Bharatiya Janata Party’s chief ministerial face of Assam, said that he cannot rule out a tie-up with the Asom Gana Parishad in the assembly elections early next year.
NEW DELHI: Virtually appointed as the chief ministerial face in Assam, BJP leader minister Sarbananda Sonowal did not rule out a tie up with the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) in the assembly elections to be held in March-April next year and hinted that the BJP will try to rope in other small groups for an alliance.
Appointed as BJP’s Assam unit chief and head of the campaign committee, Sarbananda Sonowal wants to concentrate on ensuring victory for the party to get rid of the “corrupt” Congress.
“We are ready to talk to all political parties that believe BJP’s ideology. Our focus will be to formulate a voter friendly strategy, a viable alternative in which people get the confidence to vote for,” he said.
Sonowal, 53, was an MLA and MP in AGP before joining BJP in 2011. He had earlier served as BJP’s Assam unit chief in 2013-14 and under his stewardship BJP won seven of the 14 Lok Sabha seats in last Parliamentary elections.
Asked whether he will be the BJP’s chief ministerial candidate, he said he has been given the responsibility of the campaign committee and he would discharge his duties with all sincerity and would not like to think about anything else.
“My priority now is to take along all sections of the society and win the election. Other issues will be decided by the BJP Parliamentary Board.”
The BJP’s decision to appoint So now a lisa break from its strategy in Bihar where it had not projected a chief ministerial candidate.
It had also not formed any statewide election committee and instead put many outsiders as well as local leaders in charge of various zones.