Assam Panchayat polls: Campaigning for 2nd phase ends today

Guwahati, May 5 (IANS) The campaign for the second and last phase of Panchayat polls in Assam is set to end on Monday at 5 p.m. The voting will be held on May 7. 

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma was holding public rallies in Bajali, Kamrup and Jagiroad.

The state leaders of all parties were campaigning aggressively. The state Congress president, Bhupen Borah, MP Gaurav Gogoi, and Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) leaders were also campaigning for their candidates, holding rallies and meetings.

Earlier, while campaigning in Dhubri district, CM Sarma trained guns on the Congress party and said, "People of Dhubri have blessed the Congress MP with a huge margin of votes in the previous year's Lok Sabha election. However, once the polls were over, people could not find the MP for any public interactions. In Golakganj also, people elected one Congress MLA to the Assembly. He also failed to deliver any election promises."

The CM argued that the Dhubri district has seen development since the BJP came to power in Assam nine years ago. "The BJP government has taken up large-scale initiatives for the development of the Dhubri district. For the progress of Assam, it is important that Dhubri must become a developed district," CM Sarma said.

The first phase of voting for the Panchayat polls was held on May 2.

Chief Minister Sarma announced that the BJP-led NDA in the state has secured as many as 325 seats unopposed in the Panchayat elections.

He said, "As per reports received so far, the NDA has already secured 37 Zila Parishad (35 BJP and two AGP) and 288 Anchalik Panchayat (259 BJP and 29 AGP) seats unopposed."

According to the Chief Minister, this is a massive and unprecedented mandate in Assam's political history and reflects the immense trust and overwhelming love that the people of the state have for the NDA and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

He said, "We are confident that when the final election results are declared, this tally will grow even more impressive. The NDA is all set to sweep the Panchayat elections in Assam. My heartfelt gratitude to the people of Assam and deep appreciation to our dedicated karyakartas for their tireless efforts and unwavering commitment."

The counting will take place on May 11. The first phase of the election was held on May 2 in 13 districts.