National Narrative and Regional Subtext: Understanding the Rise of BJP in Assam
| DOI | 10.1177/2321023018762676 |
| Published date | 01 June 2018 |
| Author | Tamasa Das,Sandhya Goswami,Vikas Tripathi |
| Date | 01 June 2018 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
Article
National Narrative and Regional
Subtext: Understanding the Rise
of BJP in Assam
Vikas Tripathi1
Tamasa Das2
Sandhya Goswami3
Abstract
The unprecedented mandate in favour of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the 2016 Assembly
elections in Assam necessitates a careful understanding of the growth and consolidation of the party
in the state. The BJP’s rise in the state can be understood in the backdrop of a favourable social base
which has perceivably shifted from the Congress in recent years. Many factors have been responsible
for this shift identifiable through a withering Congress dominance and political stagnancy of the AGP.
An understanding of the political shift in Assam with the concomitant rise of the BJP is incomplete
without a look into the party movement dialectics marking BJP politics. A blatantly vocal Hindutva
rhetoric has been cast aside opting instead for a regionalized portraiture of Hinduism in the state.
In this, localized sects and symbols have been inducted into the BJP’s campaign which infused a strong
sense of regional identification among the mass of electorate.
Keywords
Assam, assembly elections, BJP, Congress, AGP, AIUDF, BPF, BTAD, Hindutva, indigeneity, minority,
Muslim, regional, national, tribal
In the mid-1980s, Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) emerged as an alternative to the Congress in the state and
held a potent sway over the electorate for nearly two decades. However, political stagnation that marked
AGP politics led to subsequent revival of the Congress in Assam as the most dominant player. The three
successive electoral victories for the Congress since 2001 are a testimony to this. However, the 2014 Lok
Sabha election marked a withering Congress dominance (Goswami & Tripathi, 2015) and the rise of the
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Assam. It is significant to note that the 2016 Assembly election in Assam
established a cursor as to the BJP’s ability to craft a new social coalition.
1 Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science, Gauhati University, Guwahati, Assam, India.
2 M.A. in Political Science, Department of Political Science, Gauhati University, Guwahati, Assam, India.
3 Former Professor, Depar tment of Political Science, Gauhati University, Guwahati, Assam, India.
Studies in Indian Politics
6(1) 60–70
© 2018 Lokniti, Centre for the
Study of Developing Societies
SAGE Publications
sagepub.in/home.nav
DOI: 10.1177/2321023018762676
http://journals.sagepub.com/home/inp
Corresponding author:
Vikas Tripathi, Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science, Gauhati University, Guwahati, Assam, India.
E-mail: 59.vikas@gmail.com
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