Assam: Congress leader Siddeque Ahmed allegedly violates election guidelines, campaigns live on Facebook after deadline

The campaign for the 5 parliamentary constituencies in Assam, scheduled for the second phase of polls on April 26, officially ended on April 24. However, amidst this fervor, MLA Siddeque Ahmed allegedly violated the  election guidelines by continuing his campaign beyond the stipulated deadline.

Siddeque Ahmed being a Congress MLA from Karimganj, reportedly, engaged in campaigning that was live-streamed on Facebook even after the official campaign period had ended at 5 pm. A video of him addressing a gathering through Facebook Live, where he urged people to vote for the BJP, despite being a Congress MLA from Karimganj, went viral on the social media platform, raising concerns of election code violations.

A total of 61 candidates are contesting across the five constituencies set for polling for the second phase of LS polls. These constituencies span diverse regions, including two in Barak Valley - Silchar (SC) and Karimganj, one in the hill district - Diphu (ST), and two in the Brahmaputra Valley - Nagaon and Darrang-Udalguri.

Notable national leaders have also been actively involved in the campaign for the second phase. Union Home Minister Amit Shah conducted a roadshow in Silchar (SC) in support of BJP candidate and Assam Minister Parimal Suklabaidya. Similarly, Trinamool Congress leader and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee lent her support to the party's candidate Radheshyam Biswas in Silchar (SC).

The BJP's campaign was led by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who held multiple rallies daily across all constituencies slated for polls. Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, having contested from the Dibrugarh constituency in the first phase, directed his efforts towards campaigning for BJP candidates in Silchar (SC) and Karimganj in Barak Valley.