GUWAHATI: While Congress-led opposition alliance vows to oust the Assam chief minister and the BJP-led NDA government from power in the state, Himanta Biswa Sarma claimed that the opposition has no agenda and the people of the state are completely with the ruling party, except “Bangladeshi infiltrators”.The Assam chief minister on Wednesday said that they (Congress-led opposition alliance) have no agenda, because in the last 60 years, what they have provided the people have seen.
“We have completely turned around Assam. Today, people are seeing a new Assam, based on our strong culture and heritage. People are completely with the BJP, except Bangladeshi infiltrators. No local indigenous Indian people will vote for Congress,” Sarma said.He further said, “Who wants to go to Congress? Congress can’t form its government in India, they can form it in Pakistan. Then how can I go to Congress? Congress can never form the government in India. When Congress’s government will form that will be in either Pakistan or Bangladesh.”On the other hand, Assam Congress president Gaurav Gogoi, who leads the opposition alliance, said that there is tremendous enthusiasm among the people because they can see that they are getting a historic opportunity to uproot the 10-year BJP government. “The government here practices politics of fear, and an opportunity is being provided to break free from it, and we stand with the people. The enthusiasm is for change. People are, in a way, imagining a new Assam,” Gaurav Gogoi said.Polling for all 126 constituencies in Assam will be held on April 9, with counting scheduled for May 4, as announced by the Election Commission of India (ECI).In the 2021 assembly elections, the NDA, comprising the BJP, AGP and United People’s Party Liberal (UPPL), won 75 seats, with the BJP alone winning 60 seats. The Congress and AIUDF had formed a grand alliance along with the BPF and the communist parties, but the alliance performed poorly with just 16 seats out of 126.Voter turnout was as high as 86.2 per cent with over 2. 2 crore registered voters in 2021.
