Sivasagar (Assam) [India], April 17 : Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma concluded the election campaign for the first phase on Wednesday in Sivasagar and exuded confidence in the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) victory in all five seats of the region by a significant margin.
Speaking to ANI, the Assam CM said, "In Assam, the five constituencies will go for election in the first phase. The BJP will win all five seats with a great majority. This is a heritage-rich and iconic city. The first phase of the election campaign has come to an end here."
The Chief Minister also said that, with everyone's blessings, PM Narendra Modi will become Prime Minister for the third time.
Sivasagar holds immense cultural and historical importance in Assam, serving as a symbol of power and heritage rooted in the rich history of the Ahom dynasty.
When asked about Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's remarks that the BJP is attempting to deflect public attention away from fundamental concerns, Chief Minister Sarma stated that the BJP has always been active in major issues such as unemployment, naxalism, and the UCC.
"BJP has been involved in the main issues, such as giving people electricity, giving people employment. Congress thinks they are important, but we do not think so. For us, unemployment, J&K, Naxal and UCC are the main issues," said the Chief Minister.
The Assam Chief Minister also said that electoral bonds were a way to bring transparency to public elections.
"Electoral bonds were a way to bring transparency to public elections. The Supreme Court found some shortcomings, and those shortcomings will be fulfilled," he said.
Talking about the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA), Assam CM said, "I feel in a few days AFSPA will be withdrawn from Assam."
Meanwhile, campaigning for five Lok Sabha constituencies in Assam, which are due to go for polling on April 19, including the high-profile seat of Dibrugarh, ended on Wednesday.
The Lok Sabha poll campaigning for 2024, for the first phase of elections, ended at 5 pm on the five Lok Sabha seats in Assam, including the high-profile seat of Dibrugarh, where Union Minister and former Chief Minister of Assam are contesting.
The first phase of the Lok Sabha polls is set to take place on April 19.
The voting for the Lok Sabha election in the first phase is to be held across 21 states in 102 seats, including five seats in Upper Assam.
The first phase of voting is to be held on April 19, while for the remaining seats, voting is to be held in 6 phase.
In Assam, the five seats going to the polls in the first phase are Jorhat, Dibrugarh, Lakhimpur, Kaziranga and Sonitpur. The BJP is contesting all of these seats.
A total of 36 candidates are frayed in all five constituencies of Assam. Kaziranga has the highest number of 11 candidates, followed by nine in Lakhimpur, eight in Sonitpur, five in Jorhat and three in Dibrugarh.
In Assam, voting will be conducted in 3 phases for 14 seats. The first phase on April 19 includes Tezpur, Jorhat, Dibrugarh, Lakhimpur, and Sonitpur.
The second phase on April 26 covers Karimganj, Silchar, Mangaldoi, Nagaon, and Kaliabor. The third phase on May 7 includes Dhubri, Kokrajhar, Barpeta, and Guwahati.
The BJP is contesting 11 seats, while its allies, the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and the United People's Party Liberal, are contesting two seats and one seat, respectively.