Will BJP really fulfil Himanta Biswa Sarma's CM ambitions?

BJP’s Assam unit president Siddhartha Bhattacharya is a happy man today. On August 23, when Assam’s news channels were flashing news saying that he would be meeting national president Amit Shah in the evening to submit his resignation following the disastrous performance by the saffron party in Tiwa Autonomous Council polls two days ago, he was actually on his way to accomplish a big-ticket acquisition for the party. Despite opposition from all the BJP MPs in the party, he could convince the BJP brass to induct Himanta Biswa Sarma, the aide-turned-foe of Congress chief minister Tarun Gogoi, into the party.

Bhattacharya, along with Sarma, met Amit Shah at the BJP president’s home in Delhi and, soon after, the former Congress leader announced his intention to join the BJP on August 28.

In his mission to see BJP as the ruling party in Assam, Bhattacharya needed someone like Sarma, who had been the mastermind behind all the Congress victories in the state in last one decade. From managing Opposition parties in Rajya Sabha elections to winning elections in the weakest constituencies, Himanta’s elections strategies have rarely failed though there have been question marks over his work ethics. The value of his political equity is immense as was evident from spontaneous celebrations by people on the streets over the news of him joining the BJP.

And for both BJP and Sarma it has been a win-win deal, at least for now. The saffron party gets the most charismatic and popular leader in the form of Sarma who will be its best bet electoral plank to counter the Congress. For the former Congressman, it’s an honourable rehabilitation after he had to resign as a minister following Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi’s refusal to back him in his dissidence against chief minister Tarun Gogoi. He will have his revenge if he can help BJP win in the state considered the safest for the Congress.

For last one decade, Himanta Biswa Sarma has remained the most influential and controversial political figure in Assam. Nurtured by former chief minister Hiteswar Saikia, this lawyer-turned politician first became an MLA at the age of 33 in 2001 from the prestigious Jalukbari constituency. Sharp political acumen and strong networking skills helped him emerge as the most trusted lieutenant of chief minister Tarun Gogoi till 2011 when the arrival of Gogoi’s son Gaurav in Assam’s political scenario created a rift between the two. While there have been allegations of his involvement in at least three scams, Sarma received statewide acclaim for improving health services in rural areas and introducing a transparent recruitment system for school teachers. One of the state-level leaders who had direct access to Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Sarma is the only Congress leader after Gogoi with pan-Assam appeal. He was the chief architect of the massive 2011 Assembly polls victory which earned Congress 78 seats in the 126-member Assembly. Often criticised for his devil-may-care attitude — he once drove four BJP MLAs to the Assembly to cross vote in Rajya Sabha elections — he is the highest followed politician from Northeast in social media.

According to his critics, Himanta had to leave Congress because of his desperation to become chief minister. The big question now is: will the BJP fulfil his ambition?

Union minister from Assam Sarbananda Sonowal, a bitter rival of Sarma, strongly opposed his entry to BJP. Two other MPs also voiced their dissent in public against Sarma. Though for now Sarma has got better of them — thanks to his elder brother’s close links with RSS and Bhattacharya’s unwavering support — he will certainly face challenges from his detractors within the party. Going by Modi’s track record of picking chief ministers in Maharashtra, Haryana and Jharkhand, a strong personality like Sarma may not be chosen for the top post in the state even if BJP comes to power in 2016 polls. Will he be ready to work under a lesser leader when he had trouble in working under a giant like Tarun Gogoi? There are other challenges as well. Will he be able to accommodate all the Congress MLAs who had supported him in his battle against Tarun Gogoi and ensure Assembly tickets for each one of them? The answers to these questions will decide not only Sarma’s political career but also the course of politics in Assam.