Guwahati, 4 Jun: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma claimed on Tuesday that the NDA lost the Lok Sabha seats in Nagaland and Meghalaya as leaders of a particular religion worked against the ruling alliance.
He also indicated that it was an achievement for the BJP-led NDA to bag 11 seats out of the total 14 in Assam, a state with 40 per cent Muslim voters.
Talking to reporters at the BJP state head office here, Sarma said, “Leaders of a particular religion openly worked against BJP and NDA in Nagaland and Meghalaya, and that religion has tremendous followers. That made the difference.”
The Congress won the lone Lok Sabha seat in Nagaland, while the two constituencies of Meghalaya went to the Voice of the People Party and the Congress.
He claimed losing the seats in these two states was “not political defeat”, while also maintaining that leaders of that religion “usually do not interfere in politics”.
“This time, for whatever reason, they interfered, even in Assam also. They have worked openly against NDA,” the BJP-led NEDA convenor claimed.
On BJP and its allies winning 11 seats in Assam, Sarma said, “I am happy that with 40 per cent Muslim votes, I could give 11 seats to the party.” (PTI)