Ripun Bora Announces Retirement from Electoral Politics After Barchalla Defeat
Ripun Bora's Political Retirement
Congress leader Ripun Bora
Tezpur, May 7: Ripun Bora, the former president of the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee and the candidate who lost in the Barchalla constituency, declared his retirement from electoral politics on Monday, confirming he will not run in future elections.
Speaking to reporters in Tezpur after his defeat to BJP's Ritu Baran Sarmah, Bora stated that he would remain active within the Congress party, serving as a guardian while opposing the BJP's policies.
He encouraged party members to stay motivated and mentioned that discussions regarding alliances would take place within the party's internal framework.
While acknowledging the results of the Assam Assembly elections, Bora expressed concerns about the public's growing skepticism regarding the electoral process.
He highlighted that Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had predicted the BJP would secure around 100 seats before the official results were announced, a forecast that closely mirrored the actual outcome.
Bora also pointed out that estimates from the Opposition and exit polls were in line with the final results. He emphasized that the Congress would conduct a comprehensive analysis of its electoral losses.
Commenting on the engagement of young voters, he noted that their enthusiasm during the campaign did not translate into votes in the end.
Additionally, he raised concerns about the potential manipulation of electronic voting machines (EVMs), stating that such worries could not be entirely overlooked.
Discussing voter demographics, he revealed that out of approximately 2.11 crore voters in Assam, around 1.08 crore were women, yet only about 65 lakh benefited from government schemes. He questioned the whereabouts of the votes from the remaining women voters.