Guwahati, Apr 3: The high-pitched canvassing by national and state leaders for the first phase of Assembly elections in Assam ended Saturday evening after reaching a crescendo with last minute poll promises and allegations.
The state goes to polls in the first phase on April 4 in which 65 of the 126 assembly constituencies will go to the hustings.
The campaign was characterised by a no-holds barred tirade of allegations and counter-allegations and Congress going all out to retain power for the fourth successive term.
BJP-AGP-BPF alliance is attempting to wrest power while All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) claims to be the “king-maker” in the next government formation in Assam.
The political leaders today made last minute efforts to woo the 95,11,732 electorate, including 45,95,712 females, who will exercise their franchise in the first phase to decide the fate of 539 candidates- 496 males and 43 females, in fray for the first phase in 50 constituencies of Brahmaputra Valley and 15 in Barak Valley.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the campaign from the front for the BJP-AGP-BPF alliance in the state along with party president Amit Shah and Union Ministers Rajnath Singh, Sushma Swaraj, Nitin Gadkari, Smriti Irani, Juel Oram and Sarbananda Sonowal, who is also the party’s chief ministerial candidate.
For Congress, it was party President Sonia Gandhi, Vice-president Rahul Gandhi, Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, state unit president Anjan Dutta along with former UPA ministers Ghulam Nabi Azad, Jairam Ramesh, Salman Khurshid among others who campaigned for its candidates.
The other prominent political party leaders who campaigned during the first phase included JD(U) leader Sharad Yadav for AIUDF which has entered into an alliance with the JD(U) and (RJD), actor-turned-MP Raj Babbar of Congress and Manoj Tiwary of BJP and Congress spokesperson and President Pranab Mukherjee’s daughter Sharmistha Mukherjee.
BJP in its campaign appealed to the electorate to vote for “parivartan” (change) to usher in development while the Congress highlighted its various achievements, including improvement in law and order situation during the last 15 years of its rule.
BJP targeted Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi for his advancing age and accused his government of widespread corruption and failure to bring development in the state. Congress on the other hand, accused the Narendra Modi government for its alleged failure to fulfil the various poll promises made before the Lok Sabha polls and curtailment of funds and special category status to Assam.
Congress promised to continue with its development projects and schemes in the various sectors and ensure peace in the region, while BJP bated for sealing the border to stop infiltration, developing infrastructure in the region, bringing in industrialisation and providing employment opportunities to youths and also stopping rhino poaching.
Congress is contesting in all the 65 constituencies going to polls on Monday while BJP is contesting in 54, its alliance partner AGP in 11 and Bodoland People’s Front (BPF) in three.
AIUDF is contesting in 27 constituencies, CPI and CPI-M in 10 each, CPI(ML)(L) in six along with 60 others from unrecognised parties and 13 independents.
The prominent Congress candidates in the fray are Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi from Titabor, the Speaker of the outgoing assembly Pranab Gogoi from Sibsagar, prominent tea tribe leader and former union minister Paban Singh Ghatowar and Assam ministers Gautam Roy, Sarat Barkotoky, Ajanta Neog, Khorsingh Engti, Siddeque Ahmed, Bismita Gogoi, Sumitra Patir and Girindra Malik among others.
The BJP’s star candidates in the first phase are Union minister and party’s chief minister candidate Sarbananda Sonowal from Majuli, Jorhat LS MP Kamakhya Prasad Tasa who will take on Gogoi at Titabor, sitting MLAs Prashanta Phukan Dilip Paul, along with former AGP minister Hiten Goswami and those who joined the party last year including, sitting AGP MLAs Padma Hazarika and Naba Doley. Congress dissidents and disqualified MLAs Kripanath Mallah, Bolin Chetia and Pallab Lochan Das and former ULFA militant Kushal Duwari’s fates would also be decided on April 4.
Prominent AGP candidates in the fray are its working president Atul Bora and sitting MLAs Keshab Mahanta and Utpal Dutta along with former minister Pradip Hazarika.
