Guwahati:

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday said he is “deeply pained” by the BJP’s poll debacle in Jharkhand which he had described his “second home” a few days ago.

He also congratulated the people of Maharashtra and the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance for retaining power, while expressing gratitude to the people of Assam for supporting NDA nominees in by-polls in all five seats in Assam.

Sarma, the party’s co-in-charge for Jharkhand polls, congratulated the JMM for its impressive victory in Jharkhand while asserting that the NDA wanted to protect the state from infiltration and to lead it towards the path of development.

“The loss in Jharkhand is deeply painful for me personally, even though we secured victory in all five by-elections in Assam,” Sarma said in a post on X.

The BJP leader said he is humbly accepting the mandate of the people, for that is the true essence of democracy.

“I have witnessed the unwavering dedication and relentless efforts of our Karyakartas in Jharkhand, who gave their all in this election. We fought with a vision to protect the state from infiltration and to lead it on the path of development, fulfilling the aspirations of students and youth,” Sarma added.

During the electioneering, the BJP focused on “infiltration from Bangladesh” and alleged corruption of the JMM-led coalition, which is now set to storm back to power for the second time in a row.

“JMM and its allies have secured an impressive victory in Jharkhand. My heartfelt congratulations to Shri @HemantSorenJMM and his entire team on this achievement. I am confident that under his leadership, Jharkhand will embark on a path of progress and development,” Sarma said.

As the BJP’s co-in-charge of the Jharkhand election, Sarma frequently visited that state and addressed numerous public meetings. On November 19, he said in an X post: “Over the past four months, Jharkhand has truly felt like a second home to me.” The Assam CM also expressed his gratitude to the people of his state for their support to the NDA candidates through another post on the micro-blogging site.

“The NDA’s 5/5 victory in the current by-elections is a resounding testament to Assam’s unwavering support for Adarniya @narendramodi Ji’s vision of good governance and development,” Sarma said.

“A special mention for Samaguri, a constituency with a 65% minority population, held by Congress for 25 years, now won by the BJP. This historic victory reaffirms people’s trust in our welfare agenda and their firm rejection of the Opposition’s divisive politics,” he added.

Though the counting of votes for the Samaguri constituency is yet to be over, the BJP candidate has attained an unassailable lead.

“A big shoutout to our dedicated Karyakartas who took our message of development to every booth!” he added.

The BJP has already won in Behali and Dholai, and its allies AGP and UPPL in Bongaigaon and Sidli constituencies respectively.

Sarma also congratulated the people of Maharashtra and its ruling alliance for retaining power.

“On behalf of the people of Assam, we offer our heartfelt congratulations to the people of Maharashtra and each and every karyakartas of #MahaYuti for this historic mandate. This win exemplifies the deep bond people share with Adarniya @narendramodi Ji and his agenda for a Viksit Bharat,” he wrote on X.

“Last but not the least, these results also demonstrate the power of #ek hain toh safe hai!” he added. 

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)