Election fever catches up in Assam
Guwahati, Mar 3: With the announcement of three-phase election schedule for the 126-member Assam State Assembly the election fever is seen catching up with political parties trying and testing the alliances to manage their respective victory at the hustings.
The BJP is the ruling party with 60 seats of its own and its allies the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP and Bodoland People’s Front (BPF) have 13 and 11 members. The BJP hopes to retain majority, this time on its own, to continue with the power.
Senior National level BJP leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP National President J P Nadda and the state level leaders including Chief Minister Sarbanand Sonowal, Education Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and others have started their campaigning in the state even before the poll schedule was announced.
The Congress, on the other hand, has initiated a “grand alliance” with parties like AIUDF, CPI, CPI (M), CPI (ML) and Anchalik Gana Morcha to prevent the BJP from getting the majority. AIUDF president Badruddin Ajmal has hinted at alliance with the Congress party.
However, the political scenario for Assam poll has taken a new turn with the emergence of the regional parties like Assam Jatiya Parishad and Raijor Dal.
Meanwhile, the visit of Congress general secretary Priyanka Vadra and her ‘adventure’ in the tea garden is seen as morale booster for the Congress party workers. She made some commitment to the voters of Assam on issues like CAA, NRC and said that the Congress would nullify these acts once voted to power in the state.
She said these commitments were based on people’s feedback to senior Congress leaders during their 'Axom Basaon Ahok' (Save Assam) campaign launched on February 12.
The other four guarantees that Priyanka gave to the people of Assam included five lakh government jobs; increasing tea workers daily wages to Rs 365; free electricity upto 200 units per household; and Rs 2000 monthly income support to all housewives.
With this she launched the ‘five-guarantee’ campaign of the Congress in Assam to reach out to voters of all sections with concentration on youths, women and tea garden workers addressing a rally at Tezpur.
The BPF president Hagrama Mohilary, an ally of the BJP till now, was conspicuous by his presence at the rally of Priyanka Vadra at Tezpur.
Earlier, her brother and President-in Waiting of the Congress party Rahul Gandhi had visited Sivsagar in Upper Assam on February 12.