Jabeen harps on Vajpayee connection as poll plank

Guwahati: BJP's candidate for the Goalpara West assembly seat, Jabeen Borbhuiyan, 56, never misses an opportunity to remind voters that former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee had once told her that she was like a daughter to him and he would make her fight the elections in Assam.
Being the country's first Muslim woman to join BJP, Jabeen's confidence stems from her long association with Vajpayee.She joined BJP in the 1980s and contested the 2004 Lok Sabha elections from Dhubri, but lost. This time, senior BJP leaders, including PM Modi, have backed her candidature from Goalpara West which will vote on April 11.
"When I became a member of BJP, Atalji promised me, 'ek din main tumhe Assam mein election ladwaunga' (I will make you an election contender in Assam). He kept his promise. I was fielded as BJP candidate in Dhubri in the 2004 parliamentary election," Jabeen says. Though Jabeen lost to Congress candidate Anwar Hussain then, she said she is contesting with greater confidence and experience this time.
Goalpara West, also part of the Dhubri Lok Sabha constituency, has about 1,30,000 voters of which nearly 70,000 are Muslims. Rest of the electorates belong to scheduled tribes, scheduled castes and other communities. She said reminding voters of her association with Vajpayee establishes a connection with electorates in her constituency. BJP has fielded at least eight Muslim candidates for the 90 seats it will be contesting. Goalpara West will go to the polls in the second phase on April 11.
The Jamaat Ulema-e-Hind (JUEH) had earlier this year announced that it would campaign for BJP in Muslim-dominated constituencies. But after many seats for Muslim-dominated constituencies were handed over to Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) under BJP's poll pact, state Jamaat leaders are not very enthusiastic about its prospects in minority areas.