SILCHAR: BJP Minister Kaushik Rai expressed full confidence on Wednesday that the party would win all 10 seats it is contesting in Barak Valley, while also predicting a strong showing for alliance partner Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) in the Sonai constituency.
The remarks came as the valley's electoral landscape has been significantly redrawn following delimitation, which reduced the number of assembly segments in Barak Valley from 15 to 13.
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The BJP has fielded candidates in 10 of the 13 constituencies in Barak Valley — notably, the seats that now comprise predominantly Hindu-majority voter bases following the redesigned constituency boundaries.
The delimitation exercise has drawn attention for the way it has reshaped electoral arithmetic across the valley, and the BJP's decision to contest selectively reflects a strategy built around those new demographics.
"The BJP will win all 10 seats where we have fielded our candidates," Minister Rai said.
The Sonai constituency presents one of the more intriguing contests in the valley. Karim Uddin Barbhuiya, known as Saju, won the seat in 2021 on an AIUDF ticket. He has since crossed over to the AGP and secured the party's nomination for this election.
His opponent is Congress candidate Aminul Haque Laskar — himself a former BJP legislator — making Sonai a contest between two candidates who have both navigated significant political transitions in recent years.
Rai said the AGP has a bright chance of retaining the Sonai seat under its new banner.