New Delhi [India], March 29 : With Assembly elections around the corner, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will campaign in Assam on March 31 and in Kerala on April 1 and 2, as political parties gear up for high-stakes contests in both states.
Meanwhile, on Saturday, Union Home Minister Amit Shah held a massive roadshow in Guwahati, drawing huge crowds as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) intensified its campaign ahead of the upcoming Assam Assembly elections.
Shah's roadshow witnessed enthusiastic participation, with supporters lining the streets to catch a glimpse. Shah also showered flower petals on the crowd, acknowledging the support and energising party workers.
Assam gears up for a single-phase polling across all 126 Assembly constituencies on April 9. Counting of votes is scheduled for May 4, according to the Election Commission of India.
Assam will witness a fight between the incumbent BJP-led NDA government and Congress for the 126-seat assembly. The BJP government, led by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, will look to secure a third consecutive term, while the Congress aims to defeat the ruling party to return to power. The Assam Chief Minister is set to contest from his traditional Jalukbari seat.
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.
Meanwhile, the 2026 Kerala Legislative Assembly elections will be held in a single phase on April 9, the Election Commission of India announced on March 15, with the counting of votes scheduled to take place on May 4.
The tenure of the current assembly is scheduled to end on May 23.
The Model Code of Conduct comes into place, setting in process elections to the 140-member State Assembly, which is also known as the Kerala Niyamasabha.
Both the BJP-led NDA and Congress-led UDF seek to unseat the incumbent Communist Party of India (Marxist)-led LDF and gain control of the 140-member assembly. The LDF-led government has governed the state for around a decade. (ANI)