Guwahati, 11 October (HS): Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday distributed appointment letters to 439 candidates appointed to various posts in four state government departments, marking the first recruitment drive of the BJP-led NDA government's third term and Sarma's second consecutive term as chief minister.

The appointment letters were handed over at the Sri Sri Damodardev International Auditorium at Srimanta Sankaradeva Kalakshetra in Guwahati. The recruits have been appointed to different posts in the Water Resources, Public Health Engineering, Labour Welfare and Cooperation departments, including the Assam Cooperative Apex Bank Limited.

The BJP described the recruitment initiative as a step towards fulfilling its promise of providing two lakh government jobs during the 2026 Assembly elections. The party said the appointments were made through a transparent and merit-based selection process.

According to BJP spokesperson Pranjal Kalita, the Assam government had provided government jobs to 1,65,310 educated youths during its previous term. He praised Sarma's initiative, stating that the recruitment drive had opened up employment opportunities for young people from ordinary families.

Kalita said the government had sought to eliminate alleged irregularities, middlemen and monetary transactions associated with recruitment in the past, replacing them with a transparent selection system based on merit.

He recalled that the opposition had earlier questioned the feasibility of providing one lakh government jobs in Assam. However, the chief minister had succeeded in providing more than 1.65 lakh jobs during his first term, he said, adding that the government was now moving towards its target of two lakh appointments.

The BJP spokesperson also criticised the opposition, alleging that certain forces were attempting to exploit the aspirations of young people for political gains. He claimed that the recent electoral victories in the Silchar Municipal Corporation and the Nagaon Lok Sabha by-election reflected public support for the BJP's governance and development agenda.

Kalita further said that people across generations, including young first-time voters, were participating in the state's development initiatives under Sarma's leadership. The party expressed gratitude to the people of Assam for their continued support and welcomed the latest recruitment exercise as another step towards expanding government employment opportunities.------------

Hindusthan Samachar / Sriprakash