Himanta Biswa Sarma Files Nomination, Vows Hindu Unity

Soon after filing his nomination paper, Mr. Sarma claimed that more Congress leaders would join his party ahead of the elections.

Stating that his duty is to bring all Hindus to the side of the BJP, the prime minister said, “I will bring every Hindu to the side of the BJP. This is my duty. Hindus must be united. One of my missions in life is to unite the Hindu society. Why should Hindus take part in the Congress party and engage in anti-Hindu activities? They should come, they should come to their natural home… My second agenda is to secure the identity of Assam. We want to develop faster. Assam…”

Before filing his candidacy, Mr. Sarma held a massive rally from Khanapara Veterinary College Grounds to the District Commissioner’s office, attracting a huge crowd of BJP supporters along the route.

Mr. Sarma, a five-time MLA from Jalukbari, was first elected in 2001 and served three terms in the Indian National Congress (INC) before joining the BJP to contest the 2016 elections.

Besides his supporters, Mr. Sarma was accompanied by his wife Rinki Bhuyan Sarma and his son.

“This will be my seventh election. I will get full support from the people of Assam. We want to secure the identity of Assam. We want to ensure faster development,” he reiterated.

Meanwhile, the opposition wing also accelerated its preparations. The Congress ended the week-long deadlock by joining hands with the Raijor Dal and expanding its alliance. The announcement was made jointly by Assam Congress president Gaurav Gogoi and Raijor Dal leader Akhil Gogoi.

Mr. Gogoi said the alliance reflects collective sacrifice and the common goal of building a “new Assam”. He also urged other parties to unite against the BJP-led government.

“Everyone made sacrifices. There were many candidates but we came together for a bigger goal. Congress, Raijor Dal, Assam Jatiya Parishad, CPI(M) and CPI(ML) are now united,” Mr. Gogoi said.

With most of the political parties finalizing their candidate list and alliance, the nomination filing process gained significant momentum across Assam on Friday, with prominent leaders of both the ruling alliance and the opposition submitting their nominations to their respective district headquarters.

BJP leader Pijush Hazarika also moved to file his candidacy from Jagiroad, emphasizing the government’s development agenda. “We have been working to serve people for 10 years. The blessings of the people are our greatest strength,” he said. Other prominent BJP leaders who nominated candidates on Friday include Ajanta Neog, Ranjeet Kumar Dass, Biswajit Daimary, Rama Kanta Dewri and AGP’s Prodip Hazarika.

On the opposition front, Raijor Dal chief Akhil Gogoi filed his candidacy from Sivasagar and said, “I have set out to file my candidacy by offering my respect and service to the people of Sivasagar. Please bless me.”

Meanwhile, Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) president Lurinjyoti Gogoi and Opposition Leader Debabrata Saikia also filed their nominations from Khowang and Nazira respectively.

Assam will witness a direct contest between the ruling BJP-led NDA and the opposition alliance in the upcoming elections to the 126-member Assembly. Voting will take place on April 9 and counting of votes will be done on May 4.