GUWAHATI: In a sharp contrast to the 2014 general election, when the state—as the rest of the country—was in the grip of Modi fever, the mood in the run-up to the election this year is volatile.Riding on the saffron wave in the last Lok Sabha election, BJP had created history in Assam for the first time by winning half of the 14 LS seats.Communities which were solidly behind the party then are now divided. Resentment against the Citizenship Amendment Bill 2016—passed by the Lok Sabha on Tuesday— has grown stronger. The protests have also drowned the euphoria over the victory of the party in the recent panchayat election.BJP insiders have also started fearing the anger of the people, which they feel, could affect the party’s prospects at the hustings. Public backlash has taken the form of direct confrontation, with BJP offices being vandalised and leaders being shown black flags.Bengalis in the Barak valley may feel elated with the bill, but majority Assamese voters in the Brahmaputra valley are seething. Out of the 14 parliamentary seats in the state, the Brahmaputra valley has 11, Barak has two while Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao hill districts combined have one.Anti-migrant pressure group Prabajan Virodhi Manch convener and Supreme Court advocate Upamanyu Hazarika said, “Communities which voted for BJP in 2014, are now divided. This is likely to translate into loss of votes for Modi.”Hazarika added that the people had voted Modi overwhelmingly for their promise to free the state of illegal migrants and safeguard their ‘Jati, Mati, Bheti’ (identity, land and homeland) of indigenous people.But the introduction of the bill, which seeks granting of citizenship to migrant religious minorities, especially from Bangladesh , is being viewed as a complete policy somersault.Despite the rumblings, BJP has been in a denial mode, rubbishing claims that protests would dent their vote bank.They argue that had the majority been so angry with the government, they would not have voted it to power in the panchayat polls.BJP general secretary Dilip Saikia said, the people have been misled by certain organisations and leaders. “But the majority are with us. We will sail through despite the opposition,” he said.Critics of the bill said it is a clear move on the part of BJP to consolidate Hindu Bengali votes in the Muslim-dominated assembly seats in the state.“In 18 to 20 assembly seats, there are 5,000 to 10,000 Hindu Bengali voters who can play a decisive role in ensuring that the constituency is represented by indigenous Assamese people. The bill is in the interest of Assam,” Saikia argued.On Tuesday, health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the bill will ensure these seats do not go to All India United Democratic Front chief Badruddin Ajmal

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