GUWAHATI: As the BJP makes giant strides, the Congress is losing ground in the Northeast, its erstwhile stronghold. The Congress lost Assam miserably, is virtually non-existent in Nagaland, was booted out by its own people in Arunachal Pradesh, is facing dissidence in Manipur and Meghalaya, and has lost the ground to the BJP even in giving a fight to the CPI(M) in Left-ruled Tripura in the by-elections.
The grand old party is facing a bleak future in a region it claimed to be its own. The only state in the Northeast where the Congress sits pretty is Mizoram. The BJP, on the other hand, has shown how resurgent it is by winning Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland, albeit by aligning with regional parties and changing the discourse of politics in the region.
That the Congress is a sinking ship in the Northeast was re-established in the by-elections to five constituencies, in which the party drew a blank. The BJP, which won three of the five seats and came a close second in another, is on a roll. Arrogance, corruption and lack of development are being cited by opposition parties for the Congress’s downfall.
“The Congress is to be blamed for its depleting popularity. Despite ruling for years, the Northeast lags in development. Money that used to come from the Centre was siphoned off. People are aware of India’s growth in the mainland. They want development, and are rejecting the Congress. The Congress in Nagaland is virtually finished,” Nagaland BJP senior vice-president James Vizo said.
In the 60-member Nagaland House, the Congress does not have a single representative as eight of its MLAs defected.
A senior BJP leader, said the PM was the reason for BJP’s sterling growth in the region. “People believe Modiji can deliver, and hence they are shifting their allegiance to the BJP. People have seen the party for 70 years, it lacks dynamic leadership. In contrast, we have a young, energetic and resulted-oriented leadership,” he said.
The Congress admits it is down but not out. “Due to perfect campaign strategies, the BJP encroached upon our turf. People are losing faith in us but we will recover by reading the situation,” Assam Congress spokesperson Apurba Bhattacharya said.
The Congress is being plagued by infighting. In Tripura, its tally of 10 in the 60-member House plummeted to three after six MLAs defected. In Manipur, three MLAs ditched the party to be with the BJP. The party’s challenge is next year’s Assembly polls in Manipur, where the BJP is growing fast. The Congress’ fate will depend on Manipur’s poll outcome.