Former Union minister and Congress veteran Subodh Kant Sahay on Monday predicted the BJP’s rout in the first phase of Assembly elections on November 30 and said Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rallies would not be able to swing people’s sentiments back to the saffron party and the Raghubar Das government.
Sahay, who came back after touring Palamau for three days as chairman of the Congress campaign committee for the Assembly polls, said that in the first phase of voting of 13 Assembly seats, (Bhavnathpur, Garhwa, Hussainabad, Chatarpur, Bishrampur, Daltonganj, Panki, Latehar, Manika, Chatra, Lohardaga, Gumla and Bishunpur), the BJP was “not in a comfortable position” in a single one.
Claiming Modi’s rallies would have no impact on voters, he pointed out that the PM spoke on corruption and law and order while BJP tainted nominees Bhanu Pratap Shahi and Shashibhushan Mehta, accused in a medicine scam and a murder case, were present on the dais with him. “Voters won’t buy the PM’s claims as they now know the reality of the BJP which has gone for such candidates.”
Sahay said people were angry with the Das government and were in a mood to call the BJP’s bluff. “People are fed up with false promises. One can take the example of Palamau region which is dependent on rains for agriculture. The BJP government did nothing for irrigation in the region despite promises. People are angry,” said Sahay.
He claimed that job opportunities in the non-farm sector were virtually non-existent in the region and people were looking for a change in leadership this time.
Sahay claimed the anti-BJP trend of the first phase would be repeated in the second phase on December 7 in Kolhan where ancillary industries had been hit hard owing to the economic slump and people were losing jobs.
Sahay urged all anti-BJP forces to join hands after the Assembly elections so that the saffron party could be thrown out of the state. “Though I am confident that the alliance of Congress, JMM and RJD would be in a position to form a government on its own, I appeal to other anti-BJP forces to join hands with us after polls.”
