Gorkha votes for BJP to reduce to 1,000-2,000 in this election: Ram Prasad Sarmah

Tezpur, April 8, 2019:

Tezpur’s sitting R P Sarmah, who rebelled against the saffron party after being denied a ticket, has continued to remain in the public limelight after he lashed out at the party leadership. Tezpur Constituency of Assam will head to the polls on Thursday during the first phase of the General elections. A blockbuster clash is being fought between the two heavyweight candidates MGVK Bhanu of Congress and Pallab Lochan  Das of the BJP but many factors will influence the outcome in Tezpur.

Tezpur has a diverse population comprising of tea labourers, gorkhas and many other communities who will affect the outcome of the election, so R P Sarmah raised many eyebrows when he announced that he would not be mobilizing the Gorkha voting base in India to vote for the BJP. Sarmah’s continued resentment at being overlooked by the saffron party is palpable as he has reiterated time and again that he wants to bring the “old guard” of the BJP back to the fore. It remains to be seen what impact the BJP’s decision not to field Sarmah will have on the election outcome.

InsideNE reached out to the MP to see what his current stand is with the election less than a week away.

Q. How is the election mood?

R P Sarmah: Everything is fantastic, everything is ‘No.1’.

Q. Will BJP get the Gorkha votes in Tezpur?

R P Sarmah: Should get 2,000-3,000 votes...perhaps a maximum of 5,000 votes...since I have campaigned far and wide. The final tally will be between 1,000-2,000 votes.

Q. Would the party have fared better if you had gotten the ticket?

R P Sarmah: If I had stood, we would have gotten 97-98% of the votes. Not only Gorkha votes, Assamese, Bengalis, tribals, adivasi, tea tribes, Hindus, Muslims, communities would also have voted for us in greater numbers. It is because I do not resort to communal politics.