The Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has finalised the sea-sharing pact for the upcoming Assam assembly elections.
While the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will contest 89 seats, Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) 26, Bodoland People’s Front (BPF) 11.
The Election Commission of India (EC) announced dates for assembly elections in Assam on Sunday. The voting will take place on April 9, and counting of votes will take place on May 4.
Assam has a 126-member assembly and 64 seats are needed for a simple majority.
In 2021, the elections in Assam were held in three phases wherein the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its allies had won 75 of the state’s 126 assembly constituencies.
The BJP won 60 seats and its alliance partners AGP won 9 seats and United People’s Party Liberal (UPPL) won 6 seats. The Congress-led Grand Alliance had won 50 seats and Akhil Gogoi-led Raijor Dal won 1 seat.
During recent visits to Assam, Union Home Minister and BJP leader Amit Shah strongly targeted Congress for fostering infiltration and violence, while highlighting BJP’s efforts in development, infrastructure, and clearing 1.51 lakh bighas of land from illegal settlers.
“Form the BJP government here once again. I promise you that we will send back every single infiltrator who entered during the Congress regime," he said at a gathering in Kamrup.
“What Congress could not do in fifty years, we did in ten years," Shah noted, emphasizing that the BJP government brought Assam from a “hub of insurgency" to a “hub of development". “The Modi government has ended the restive image of Assam created during the Congress era by signing peace accords with Bodo, Karbi, Adivasi groups, DNLA, and ULFA," he stated in Guwahati.
He highlighted that 1.65 lakh youth in Assam received jobs without recommendations or bribes, and that modern infrastructure like the Silchar Expressway and new semiconductor factory plans are transforming the state.
In February, the BJP had launched a Jan Ashirwad Yatra started from Dhekiajuli assembly constituency, covering more than 900 km across 32 assembly constituencies of the state and interacting with lakhs of people, seeking their blessings. “Lakhs of people participated and blessed us, came to see us. I have not seen this kind of public response in my entire political life," CM Himanta Biswa Sarma said.
He also dismissed the claims that the ‘Orunodoi scheme’ where the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Assam government will transfer Rs 3600 crore to the bank account of 40 lakh women beneficiaries, was politically motivated, citing the long-run of the scheme. “We have already won three elections after implementing this scheme. But unlike other states, there is no mass transfer. This transfer is limited to a certain category of women. So this is a very controlled scheme, not linked with the election. Because we have been doing it for the last 6 years," he said. Each beneficiary will receive a consolidated amount of Rs 9000 for four months. The state government will transfer the amount to the bank account of the beneficiaries through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT).
During the first phase, Sarma said that he travelled 1,200 km, spending 14 hours daily with the public.
Source: News18