Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday filed his nomination papers as a BJP candidate from the Jalukbari constituency for the upcoming Assam Assembly elections.
He was accompanied by his wife Riniki Bhuyan Sarma, son Nandil Biswa Sarma and BJP’s Gauhati Lok Sabha MP Bijuli Kalita Medhi during the filing process.
Before submitting his nomination at the Kamrup (Metropolitan) District Election office, the Chief Minister led a large procession, drawing supporters from different parts of the constituency.
A five-time MLA from Jalukbari, Sarma has represented the seat since 2001 and is now seeking a sixth consecutive term in the polls scheduled for April 9. He was first elected on a Congress ticket and served three terms before joining the BJP ahead of the 2016 elections, after which he became a key figure in the party’s rise in the state.
The upcoming election will see a contest primarily between the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance and the Congress.
In the 2021 Assembly elections, the NDA — comprising the BJP, Asom Gana Parishad and United People’s Party Liberal — won 75 out of 126 seats, with the BJP securing 60. The Congress-led alliance, which included AIUDF, BPF and Left parties, won 16 seats.
The voter turnout in that election stood at 86.2 per cent, with over 2.2 crore registered voters.
Counting of votes for the current election is scheduled for May 4.