Assam By-election: With Samaguri Victory, BJP Makes Inroads Into Minority Bastion

The defeat came as a body blow to Congress and the legacy of Hussains whose name became synonymous with Samaguri over the years.

Guwahati:The BJP under the leadership of Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has breached the Samaguri citadel of Congress in the recently held byelection, the results of which were declared on Saturday.

BJP's Diplu Ranjan Sarma defeated Congress' Tanzil Hussain by a margin of 24,501 votes. The by-election was necessitated after Tanzil's father Rakibul Hussain resigned as MLA earlier this year following his victory in the Lok Sabha elections from Dhubri Parliamentary Constituency.

Samaguri, a Muslim majority seat was held by Rakibul Hussain since 2001. His father Nurul Hussain was elected from the constituency for two terms --in 1983 and 1991. Although Nurul Hussain lost the constituency to Asom Gana Parishad (AGP)'s Atul Kumar Sarma in 1996, Rakibul avenged the father's loss by winning the seat in 2001 with over 81,000 votes and made it his bastion for the next two decades.

The defeat on Saturday came as a body blow to the Congress as well as to the legacy of Hussains whose name became synonymous with Samaguri over the years.

Samaguri's victory for the BJP, on the other hand, is seen as a force multiplier for the saffron party--the victory not only helped the party make inroads into a Muslim majority constituency but is also expected to help the party project its image as the one embraced by the Muslims.

So important was the victory in Samaguri that it forced Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to make a special mention about it while congratulating the party workers on his social media handle X.

"...A special mention for Samaguri, a constituency with 65 percent minority population, held by Congress for 25 years, now won by the BJP. This historic victory reaffirms people's trust in our welfare agenda and their firm rejection of the opposition's divisive politics. My heartfelt thanks to the people for their steadfast support. We remain committed to building a Viksit Assam for all," Sarma wrote on his X handle while complementing the party workers and the winning candidate.

"A special milestone was achieved in Samaguri, a constituency with a 65% minority population, held by Congress for 25 years, now secured by BJP. This victory speaks volumes about people's rejection of divisive politics and their trust in the BJP's welfare-driven agenda," said Assam BJP president Bhabesh Kalita on Saturday.

Although five assembly constituencies in Assam went to polls on November 13, all eyes were fixed on Samaguri, which had witnessed a fierce fight between the ruling BJP and the Opposition Congress.

The constituency also witnessed unprecedented violence in the run-up to the election date--November 13. While one person was killed, several others--mostly the supporters of BJP and the Congress -- were injured during the stray incidents of violence that took place in Samaguri.

There were also allegations that unidentified gunmen fired at a padayatra led by BJP MLA from Barhampur, Jitu Goswami. The pre-poll violence reached a new height in Samaguri when the Congress alleged that miscreants attacked the vehicle of Congress candidate Tanzil Hussain, forcing Hussain to appeal to Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma for his life.

Who is Diplu Ranjan Sarma

Hailing from Kaliabor in Nagaon district, Diplu Ranjan Sarma has been associated with the Sangh Parivar since his high school days. A commerce graduate from Nagaon College in 1997, Sarma has also been associated with book publication as his profession.

Sarma has also translated some of the renowned books penned by former President Dr APJ Abdul Kalam. Known in the business world and social circle for his social work, Sarma has been a member of the BJP for a long time. Presently, he is a prominent office bearer of the BJP's Assam unit--holding the position of State General Secretary.

In 2015, he had organized a massive rally at Samaguri, which was attended by the then Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and present Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. Diplu had been visiting and working in the remote areas of Samaguri area, particularly those inhabited by the Muslims thereby attracting the attention of the state BJP leadership.

What went against the Congress

While the anti-incumbency factor worked against the party, the Congress also suffered in Samaguri due to the selection of the candidate. Although most of the party workers had remained tightlipped over the issue officially, they expressed their unhappiness over picking Rakibul Hussain's son.

"There could have been a better candidate. However, just to keep the family legacy, Hussain forced the party to give the ticket to his son," said one of the aggrieved party workers on condition of anonymity.

"Rakibul Hussain had worked in the constituency over the years. However, no one liked it when his son was parachuted from Delhi to Samaguri to contest the by-election. No one knows Tanzil Hussain here, he had lived in Delhi for the last several years," said some of the party workers.

Many of the party workers who had supported Rakibul Hussain had shifted their loyalty either to the BJP or even to AGP in the run-up to the November 13 by-election.

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