‘People will uproot corrupt government’: Gaurav Gogoi confident of Congress win in Assam polls

Assam Congress president Gaurav Gogoi on Sunday expressed confidence that voters would remove the BJP-led government in the upcoming Assembly elections, asserting that a Congress government would create a “new Assam”.

Reacting to the announcement of the election schedule by the Election Commission of India, Gogoi said the people of the state were ready for change and would bring a Congress-led government to power with a full majority.

“Assembly elections in Assam have been announced, and I am fully hopeful that the people of Assam will bring a Congress-led government with full majority… and will create a new Assam,” Gogoi said while speaking to the media. He added that such a government would ensure development and allow citizens to live peacefully “in accordance with our fundamental rights”.

Targeting Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Gogoi accused the current administration of corruption and said voters would reject it at the ballot box. “The people of Assam will uproot and throw away the corrupt government of Himanta Biswa Sarma,” he said.

The Election Commission announced on Saturday that polling for all 126 Assembly constituencies in Assam will be held in a single phase on April 9, while counting of votes is scheduled for May 4. The Model Code of Conduct came into immediate effect following the announcement.

The upcoming election is expected to see a direct contest between the ruling BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the Congress-led opposition. The BJP, under Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, is seeking a third consecutive term in office, while Congress is attempting to regain power in the state.

Ahead of the polls, the BJP has launched its Jan Ashirwad Yatra, an outreach campaign aimed at engaging with voters across the state. Sarma, who is actively participating in the programme, said during the first phase that he had travelled about 1,200 kilometres and spent nearly 14 hours daily interacting with the public.

Meanwhile, Congress has released its second list of candidates for the elections, announcing 23 names and taking the total number of candidates declared so far to 65 out of 126 seats. The party has left 15 constituencies for alliance partners, including Bhowanipur–Sorbhoog, Bajali, Palasbari, Guwahati Central, Goreswar, Morigaon and Barhampur.

The NDA secured a comfortable victory in the 2021 Assembly elections, winning 75 seats. The BJP emerged as the largest partner in the alliance with 60 seats, alongside the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and United People’s Party Liberal (UPPL). Voter turnout reached 86.2 per cent, with more than 2.2 crore registered voters participating.

In the 2016 Assembly elections, the BJP also won 60 seats, while Congress secured 26 seats and the AIUDF won 13. Voter turnout stood at 83.9 per cent, with nearly 1.99 crore voters casting their ballots across the 126 constituencies.