The Last Battle of Saraighat

The first-ever account of the BJP's landslide victory in the 2016 Assam legislative assembly elections the battle of Saraighat was fought in 1671 between the Ahoms of Assam and the Mughal invaders. In 2016 the BJP centred its strategy for the legislative assembly elections on this historic battle focusing on issues of illegal migration constantly invoked in the party's rallies posters and communication to appeal to the voting public. The historic elections saw the BJP win an overwhelming majority of assembly seats in Assam where the Congress had been in power for decades. It was a watershed moment that opened the door for the party to the political corridors of the north-east. In this book Rajat Sethi and Shubhrastha political campaigners for the BJP in the north-east of India take you behind the scenes of the high-octane electoral drama. They outline the political history of the region provide details of election strategies employed by the party and explain why they resonated with the local people so strongly.The Last Battle of Saraighat looks at Assam as a case study to explain the rise of the BJP in the north-east and throws light on the key political issues of the region. About the Author Rajat Sethi is a public policy and management graduate from Harvard University and MIT Sloan respectively. He is also an alumnus of IIT Kharagpur. Rajat is currently the political adviser to the chief minister of Manipur. He is active in impacting politics in the various North-eastern states of India.Shubhrastha is a graduate of Miranda House New Delhi and is a noted columnist and TV debater. She is the assistant editor of the India Foundation Journal and works with the office of the BJP national general secretary Ram Madhav in the North-east.