GUWAHATI, March 19: After campaigning for his party and alliance candidates ahead of the Assam Assembly elections, key BJP poll strategist Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday filed his nominations to contest from Jalukbari constituency, one of the four key seats in Kamrup Metro district, for the sixth time in his political career.
After filing his nominations at the Kamrup Metro DC’s office around 2.30pm, Sarma sought the blessings of the people for the BJP-led alliance’s candidates in the three-phase Assembly elections which commence from March 27.
“I seek the blessings of the people to bless all the candidates of the BJP-AGP-UPPL alliance to win the Assam Assembly elections. We pledge to safeguard Assam’s culture and civilisation in the coming years,” Sarma reacted before the reporters at the DC’s office on the last day of the filing of nominations by candidates for the third phase of polls scheduled on April 6.
A high profile seat in Kamrup Metro district, Jalukbari LAC is also referred to as “the fortress of Himanta Biswa Sarma” as he has won the seat consecutively from 2001, thrice as a Congress candidate, and in 2016 as a BJP candidate.
He had first contested the seat as a Congress candidate in 1996 but lost to Asom Gana Parishad leader, Bhrigu Kumar Phukan. In 2001, Sarma defeated Phukan to win from the seat, a triumph which has seen him establish himself as a popular and able MLA from the constituency in the subsequent terms.
A sea of supporters, most of them from his constituency, and party workers travelled from far and wide and joined the influential leader at the Sonaram HS School playground here and thereafter in a “grand” road show on MG Road en route to the Kamrup Metro DC’s office where he filed his nomination.
The “grand” roadshow was nothing short of a festival as people danced, cheered and shouted slogans in favour of the BJP leader.
Sarma, accompanied by his family in an open vehicle, was honoured with gamosas and showered with flowers and floral garlands during the two-hour journey across a 1.5km stretch, as he waved at his well-wishers and acknowledged the love shown by them.
Earlier, the influential BJP leader sought divine blessings at the Doul Govinda temple in North Guwahati and thereafter prayed at the historic Kamakhya Temple atop Nilachal Hills.
Assam, Manipur CMs greet Sarma
Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal and Manipur chief minister N. Biren Singh along with Union agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar and other BJP leaders were present at the DC’s office here to convey their wishes to Sarma on the occasion.
Both the chief ministers exuded confidence in the BJP-led government retaining power in Assam.
“People have seen the development and good governance brought about by the BJP government. So we are confident of retaining power again. People will never accept Congress-AIUDF as these parties only want to settle illegal infiltrators in the state,” Sonowal told reporters here.
“We have come here to wish him and so have the people from his constituency,” he said.
Manipur chief minister N. Biren Singh, who flew all the way from Imphal to the city here, said, “We have come here to show our support for the BJP government in Assam…we are confident that the BJP will once again form the government in Assam.”