Guwahati: On the last day of filing nomination papers for the third (and final) phase of Assam legislative assembly polls scheduled for 6 April, many political heavyweights submitted their nominations. Senior BJP leader and State minister Himanta Biswa Sarma filed his nomination for the Jalukbari seat with a massive rally in the city.
He was accompanied by State chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal, Manipur CM N Biren Singh, BJP’s national vice-president Baijayant Jay Panda, Union ministers Narendra Singh Tomar, Rameswar Teli, BJP general secretary Dailip Saikia, Parliamentarian Bhubaneswar Kalita with others on the way to submit his papers at Kamrup district magistrate’s office.
Others who filed nominations on Friday included State minister Phanibhusan Choudhury (Bongaigaon), legislators Suman Haripriya (Hajo), Rekibuddin Ahmed (Saigaon), Nandita Das (Boko), singer Kalpana Patoway & Minaxi Rahman (Sarukhetri), Ashima Bordoloi (East Guwahati), Manjit Mahanta (Dispur), Mira Borthakur (West Guwahati), Ajay Kumar Ray (Bijni), etc.
Meanwhile, the Congress leader Rahul Gandhi visited Assam to address poll rallies and reassured the party’s five guarantees to the voters including the hike of tea plantation workers’ daily wage to rupees 365, provide free electricity up to 200 units for every household, to nullify the citizenship amendment act (brought by NDA), create five
lakh government jobs, etc.
Answering queries of a participant about the wage hike, Gandhi even committed that it would be implemented within six hours of formation of a Congress-led government in Dispur after the polls. Criticising the BJP for its aggression over the Assamese language and its history, Gandhi terms the forthcoming polls as a very important election. He urged the voters to reject BJP nominated candidates to safeguard the country.
Lately, the enforcement and regulatory authorities made cumulative seizures of cash, liquor, narcotics and jewellery worth rupees 75 crores till Friday evening. Among those seized items include cash of rupees 16.14 crore and liquor worth rupees 19.21 crore with others.
