Guwahati, 07 April (HS): The campaign for the upcoming 16th Assam Legislative Assembly elections will concluding on Tuesday evening, with polling scheduled to be held on April 9. As per the Model Code of Conduct, all forms of election campaigning will be officially come to an end at 5:00 PM today, after which no political party or candidate will be allowed to carry out public campain.
On the final day of campain, a vibrant and charged atmosphere has been witnessed across various parts of the state, with political parties and candidates making last-minute efforts to reach out to voters. Both the ruling party and the opposition have conducted extensive campaigns over the past few weeks to influence the electorate.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), aiming to secure a third consecutive term in power, has led an aggressive campaign with the participation of top leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, former BJP President JP Nadda and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh etc.. Prime Minister Modi addressed multiple rallies in Barpeta, Hojai and Dibrugarh on Monday, in addition to earlier campaign events held on April 1 in Gohpur and Biswanath.
Similarly, the Congress party carried out an extensive campaign led by senior leaders such as Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and party president Mallikarjun Kharge etc.. Other parties, including the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), also campaigned actively, with its president Asaduddin Owaisi focusing on consolidating minority votes.
Meanwhile, controversy marked the final phase of campaigning, with Congress leader Pawan Khera raising allegations regarding multiple passports linked to Riniki Bhuyan Sarma, wife of Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma, which sparked political debate across the state.
A total of 722 candidates are contesting in the elections, including 663 male and 59 female candidates. Among political parties, the Indian National Congress has fielded candidates in 99 constituencies, while the ruling BJP is contesting on 90 seats. Several regional and national parties, along with 258 independent candidates are also in the fray.
The elections will be held across 126 Assembly constituencies, with a total electorate of 2,50,21,413 voters. This includes 1,25,16,591 male voters, 1,25,04,501 female voters, and 321 voters from the third gender category. Additionally, over 1.64 lakh new voters have been added to the electoral rolls, while more than 1 lakh names have been removed.
Polling will be conducted at 31,486 polling stations across the state. Notably, Dalgaon is the constituency with the highest number of voters at 3,17,110, while Amri has the lowest with 1,00,494 voters.
In the 2021 Assembly elections, the BJP-led NDA secured 76 seats, with the BJP winning 60, Asom Gana Parishad 9, and UPPL 6 seats. The Congress-led alliance won 49 seats, including 29 by Congress and 16 by AIUDF.
With campaigning drawing to a close, all eyes are now on the voters as Assam prepares for polling day on April 9.
Hindusthan Samachar / Sriprakash
