Lok Sabha election: Final call for support in last leg of phase III campaign in entire lower Assam region

Guwahati: It is the last leg of campaigning for the third phase of the Lok Sabha election, and political parties are making a final call in all their effort to garner support from the people for their candidates. The electioneering has reached a feverish note, from Guwahati to the entire lower Assam region. 

Despite the heat and dust, people are attending poll rallies by the different political parties that have put up candidates in the third phase of polling on May 7. Polling on that day will start at 7 a.m. and conclude at 5 p.m. in the four parliamentary constituencies of Kokrajhar, Dhubri, Barpeta, and Guwahati. The campaigning for the third and final phase of polling will end at 5 p.m. on May 5.

On Friday, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, AGP president Atul Bora, cabinet ministers Pijush Hazarika, Ranjeet Kumar Dass, Jayanta Mallabaruah, Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi, APCC president Bhupen Borah, BTC chief Pramod Boro, and others were on the campaign trail, culling support for their respective party candidates.

The CM attended a total of four rallies at Bajali, Pakabettbari, Bijni (Ulubari), and Salakati (Kokrajhar) and a road show in Kokrajhar town under Barpeta parliamentary constituency and Kokrajhar parliamentary constituency. On the sidelines of a rally, the chief minister told the media, “Despite the heat, people have come out in large numbers to attend the election rallies. Judging from the people’s enthusiasm, I am sure that Phani Bhusan Choudhury, the AGP candidate for Barpeta, will surely win. As of now, my assessment is that he will win by a margin of 3 lakh votes.”

In a verbal attack on senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, the chief minister said, “Rahul Gandhi is more popular in Pakistan, and if he participates in an election there, I am sure he will win by a large number of votes. There is no doubt about that. We will not be able to contest with him there. But nothing is going to happen in India. PM Modi is ‘balle balle’ here.”

AGP president Atul Bora also campaigned in several election meetings organized in places under the Barpeta parliamentary constituency. Talking to the media after attending one of the rallies, he said, “In phases I and II, the people voted for the development of the state and the country, as they have witnessed the development brought by Modi ji across the country. In the third phase too, the people will bless the BJP-AGP alliance and bring Modi ji back to the seat of the Prime Minister for the third time. Phani Bhusan Choudhury is a people’s person, and he is himself an institution. We are confident about his victory from Barpeta.”

Meanwhile, minister Pijush Hazarika also took part in several poll rallies in Salbari, Ulubari (Bijni), Barpeta, and Howly, garnering support for their party and alliance candidates. 

Ranjeet Kumar Dass and Jayanta Mallabaruah participated in a number of election rallies at different places in the Barpeta parliamentary constituency.

BTC chief Pramod Boro accompanied Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma during his rallies and the road show in Kokrajhar parliamentary constituency.

On the other hand, APCC president Bhupen Borah addressed three election rallies at Tulsibil (Gossaigaon), Ghilaguri (Abhayapuri), and Nisuka (Sorbhog) under the Kokrajhar and Barpeta parliamentary constituencies. During the rallies, Borah sought the support of the people for Kokrajhar Congress candidate Garjan Mashahary and Barpeta candidate Deep Bayan. Later, talking to the media, Borah said, “Although AGP pitches itself as a regional political party, they have sold out their regionalism to the BJP for the sake of staying in power.”

Meanwhile, Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi campaigned in Chenga under the Barpeta parliamentary constituency, garnering the support of the people through the five primary guarantees, or ‘Nyay’ of the Congress this time. Criticising the AIUDF, he said, “Earlier, I thought that the AIUDF was the B team of the BJP, but now I realize that both AIUDF and the BJP are the same party.”

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