Guwahati: Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who on Friday led a massive rally in Guwahati, filed his nomination from the Jalukbari constituency while asserting that mission of his life is to unite “Hindu Samaj” and protect the identity of Assam and Assamese.
Soon after submitting his nomination paper, Mr Sarma claimed that more Congress leaders are likely to join his party ahead of the elections.
Stating that his mission is to bring every Hindu in fold of the BJP, the chief minister said, “I am going to bring each and every Hindu person into the fold of the BJP. That is my mission. Hindus should be united. One of my missions in life is to unite Hindu society. Why should Hindu people be in the Congress party and do anti-Hindu activities? They should come, they should come to their natural home… My second agenda is to secure the identity of Assam. We want to have faster development for Assam…”
Before filing his nomination, Mr Sarma led a huge rally from Veterinary College Field, Khanapara, to the District Commissioner’s office, drawing large crowds of BJP supporters along the route.
A five-time MLA from Jalukbari, Mr Sarma was first elected in 2001 and served three terms with the Indian National Congress (INC) before joining the BJP to contest the 2016 elections.
Mr Sarma was accompanied by his wife Rinki Bhuyan Sarma and his son apart from his supporters.
“This will be my seventh election. I’ll get full support from the people of Assam. We want to secure the identity of Assam. We want to have faster development,” he reiterated.
Meanwhile, the opposition camp has also stepped up its preparations. The Congress has expanded its alliance by joining hands with Raijor Dal, ending weeklong deadlock. The announcement was made jointly by Assam Congress president Gaurav Gogoi and Raijor Dal leader Akhil Gogoi.
Mr Gogoi said that the alliance reflects collective sacrifice and a shared goal to build a “new Assam.” He also called on other parties to unite against the BJP-led government.
“Everyone has made sacrifices. There were many aspirants, but we have come together for a larger goal. Congress, Raijor Dal, Assam Jatiya Parishad, CPI(M) and CPI(ML) are now united,” said Mr Gogoi.
With most of the political parties finalising the candidate list and its alliance, the process of filing nomination has gathered significant momentum across Assam on Friday, with prominent leaders from both the ruling alliance and opposition submitting their nomination at their respective district headquarters.
BJP leader Pijush Hazarika also moved to file his nomination from Jagiroad, highlighting the government’s development agenda. “We have been working to serve people over the past 10 years. The blessings of the people are our biggest strength,” he said. Other key BJP leaders filing nominations on Friday include Ajanta Neog, Ranjeet Kumar Dass, Biswajit Daimary, Rama Kanta Dewri and AGP’s Prodip Hazarika.
On the opposition front, Raijor Dal chief Akhil Gogoi filed his nomination from Sivasagar, stating, “Offering my respect and service to the people of Sivasagar, I have set out to file my nomination. Please bless me.”
Meanwhile, Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) president Lurinjyoti Gogoi and Leader of Opposition Debabrata Saikia also filed their nominations from Khowang and Nazira respectively.
Assam is set to witness a direct contest between the ruling BJP-led NDA and the opposition alliance in the upcoming elections for the 126-member Assembly. Polling is scheduled for April 9, with counting of votes to take place on May 4.
