New Delhi: Visible development on the ground in the landlocked northeastern states especially in Assam has overruled the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016, say experts. The Bill, which was seen by many as a big deterrent for the BJP and its poll prospect, had no impact in the recently concluded Lok Sabah election.
Political experts feel that it is only the developmental work done by the saffron brigade that brought such tremendous victory.
The BJP won 17 seats in northeast including nine seats in Assam. In 2014, BJP had bagged seven seats from Assam and added two to its present tally. The party also swiped Tripura which has two parliamentary seats.
The saffron brigade was able to increase its vote share in the region too. However, in Assam the party has a mere one percent decrease in vote share. In 2014, it's vote share in Assam was 36.86 percent and in 2019 it registered 35.61 percent.
"The CAB has been ignored by the people. The issue was more of a nationalism, patriotism and development...This (BJP) party has brought development in the region. Whether it is railway connectivity, connectivity by airways there was positive developments," said independent journalist Deepak Diwan.
Echoing the same view, political expert Subimal Bhattacharjee said, "works matter."
"BJP did well in local body election, they did well in Barak Valley and in many other areas. They recorded a very high voting percentage too," said Bhattacharjee.
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