High-voltage Assam campaign wraps up under shadows of accusations
The high-voltage campaign, fraught with accusations and promises galore, for the elections to the 126-member Assam Assembly ended at 5 pm on Tuesday.
The polls will be held on April 9 to decide the electoral fate of 722 candidates.
BJP leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, attacked the Opposition Congress, accusing it of encouraging infiltrators to settle down in Assam’s land to create a vote bank, and failing to control insurgency and usher in development and employment during its rule.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma upped the ante by directly attacking Bengali-speaking Muslims of immigrant origin, derogatorily called the ‘Miyas’, claiming that during the last five years, “he has broken their arms and legs” and in the next five “he will break their backbones”.
The ruling party in the State asserted that it provided land ownership rights to tea garden workers, empowerment schemes to women, financial assistance for girl students, and brought down child marriage by 84 per cent.
The BJP leaders claimed the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) will be implemented in the State to prevent polygamy and promised that the journey of development will continue.
The Opposition Congress and its alliance partners have accused the BJP of practising the ‘politics of hate’, indulging in widespread corruption, particularly by the CM and his family members, lopsided development, and not being serious about ensuring justice to popular singer Zubeen Garg, who died in Singapore on September 19 last year.
The Congress said that if voted to power, it would provide justice for Garg, cash assistance to women, a health insurance scheme to people, land rights for indigenous people and others.
The chief minister accused State Congress president Gaurav Gogoi and his wife of having links with Pakistan’s spy agency ISI. On the other hand, the Opposition party charged Sarma’s wife Riniki Bhuyan Sharma with owning multiple passports, properties in Dubai and assets in shell companies, which her husband did not mention in his poll affidavit.
While Modi, Shah and other NDA leaders came to the state to canvass for the ruling coalition’s candidates, Congress functionaries like its president Mallikarjun Kharge and Lok Sabha leader Rahul Gandhi campaigned for the party-led grouping.
The prominent candidates in fray are the chief minister, Congress’s Gaurav Gogoi, AIUDF Chief Badruddin Ajmal, assembly Speaker Biswajit Daimary, leader of the opposition Debabrata Saikia, senior ministers Ranoj Pegu, Chandramohan Patowary, Atul Bora, Keshav Mahanta, Ajanta Neog, Ashok Singhal, Raijor Dal’s Chief Akhil Gogoi and AJP President Lurinjyoti Gogoi.
The ruling NDA’s main constituents are the BJP, Asom Gana Parishad and the Bodo Peoples’ Front, while the opposition alliance comprises the Congress, Raijor Dal, Assam Jatiya Parishad, CPI(M), All Party Hill Leaders Conference and the CPI(ML).
Elections in the state will be conducted in a single phase this time, unlike earlier occasions, when voting was held in multiple phases.
The Prime Minister came twice to the state to address five poll rallies and interacted with women tea garden workers. Prior to the announcement of election dates, he had come to the state four times since December to launch and inaugurate a series of projects.
The BJP’s other star campaigner, Amit Shah, came thrice to address nine rallies and a road show in Guwahati, and had also come four times since December. BJP president Nitin Nabin, Union ministers Nitin Gadkari, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Rajnath Singh, Sarbananda Sonowal, J P Nadda and Pabitra Margherita, Chief Ministers of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath and Odisha Mohan Majhi, campaigned for party candidates while Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman released the party manifesto.
Besides Congress’ state president Gaurav Gogoi, the party’s national leaders Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, party MPs Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and others canvassed for the nominees.
Other prominent leaders to campaign in the state include AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi for the AIUDF, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren and his wife Kalpana Soren for JMM candidates.
The prominent candidates in fray are the Chief Minister, Congress’s Gaurav Gogoi, AIUDF Chief Badruddin Ajmal, assembly Speaker Biswajit Daimary, leader of the opposition Debabrata Saikia, senior ministers Ranoj Pegu, Chandramohan Patowary, Atul Bora, Keshav Mahanta, Ajanta Neog, Ashok Singhal, Raijor Dal’s Chief Akhil Gogoi and AJP President Lurinjyoti Gogoi.
Among the 722 candidates in fray, 59 are women, with the Congress having the highest at 99, followed by the BJP at 90, AIUDF at 30, NDA allies AGP with 26 and BPF in 11 seats.
Opposition Alliance’s Raijor Dal is contesting in 13 seats, AJP in 10, CPI(M) in 3 and APHLC in 2, while the AAP is contesting in 18, UPPL in 18, TMC in 22, JMM in 16 and 258 independents. A total electorate of 25,054,463, comprising 12,531,552 men, 12,522,593 women and 318 of the third gender, would be able to exercise their franchise in 31,490 polling stations across 126 assembly constituencies.
