New Delhi: Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and senior leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will enter the key Assam contest early next month to seek support for the Congress nominees in the BJP-ruled northeastern state. All 126 assembly seats will have polling on April 9, and the results will be out on May 4.
The campaign will end on the evening of April 7 as per the Election Commission of India (ECI) rules. Congress insiders said the party campaign will get a boost with the visit of Priyanka Gandhi on April 1, followed by Rahul Gandhi on April 2, and will peak over the next few days.
The Congress has been in the opposition in Assam since 2016 and is banking on the anti-incumbency against the BJP led by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who poached two senior leaders of the grand old party days before the key contest. They were former Assam Congress chief Bhupen Borah and former Nagaon Lok Sabha MP Pradyut Bordoloi.
The Congress managers played down the exit of the two senior leaders, saying they had been exposed among the voters and their leaving would have no impact on the grand old party’s prospects, which had been claiming that the voters of Assam wanted to see change in the 2026 assembly elections.
“The visit of our top leaders will boost the ongoing campaign. Our rallies are getting a good crowd, and we hope to convert them into votes. The people are fed up with the BJP. There is frustration among the voters over corruption, unfulfilled promises and rising unemployment, and they want to bring a change this time,” All India Congress Committee (AICC) secretary in charge of Assam Manoj Chauhan told ETV Bharat.
Besides the unkept promises, the Congress managers are also miffed over the BJP leaders flagging the issue of outsiders, saying they will drive them out if voted to power for a third term.
“That is not even a poll issue. The BJP is flagging the issue of outsiders just to deflect public attention and polarise the voters. They have been in power in the state since 2016 and in the Centre since 2014. Why did they not address the issue all these years? Instead of addressing the concerns of the voters, the government continues to evade accountability,” said Chauhan.
The Congress managers are also banking on the social welfare guarantees announced recently by party chief Mallikarjun Kharge to turn the tide in favour of the grand old party, which worked out a seat-sharing formula with some regional parties like the Left parties, Raijor Dal, Assam Jatiya Parishad, JDA and APHLC to take on the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
Key among the promises are land titles to 10 lakh tribals and justice for singer Zubeen Garg, who had died mysteriously in Singapore. Both senior Congress observers in Assam, former Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel and Karnataka deputy chief minister DK Shiv Kumar, have been stressing the public mood for change and paid tributes to the departed singer at his memorial just outside the capital, Guwahati.
“Zubeen Da was the voice of the entire Assam and the sentiment of the northeast. The state stands united for its icon and is demanding justice. But the government is not comfortable with public sentiment,” AICC in charge of Assam, Jitendra Singh told ETV Bharat. “Our alliance actually reflects the wishes of the voters,” he said.
Priyanka screened the 100 party candidates in the fray as head of the screening panel. She is likely to address rallies in two assembly segments in Dibrugarh district, one for the Congress nominee and another for an AJP candidate.
“Our alliance is doing well. The party campaign is picking up. The voters have realised that the BJP is banking on the heavy allowances it has given to lakhs of residents and has not done much over the past five years. If the BJP were so confident this time, it would not have given tickets to several Congress turncoats. This had created frustration among several old BJP leaders who left the party,” former union minister Pawan Ghatowar told ETV Bharat.
“The Congress is talking about restoring the local pride, and this theme is being liked by the voters,” he added.
