GUWAHATI, April 11: The Assam BJP has announced a 40-member list of star campaigners, led by chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, for the two-phase panchayat elections scheduled early next month.
Among the key members in the list are former chief minister and Union minister Sarbananda Sonowal and Union minister Pabitra Margherita, besides a host of Cabinet ministers, MPs and MLAs.
As it is, NDA alliance in the state has intensified preparations for a full-scale electoral battle with extensive groundwork already done across all levels of the alliance.
BJP Assam Pradesh president Dilip Saikia has appealed to every party worker to give their best in support of the NDA candidates. State-level representatives have been dispatched to mandal and district levels to hold discussions with alliance partners, and consensus has been reached for candidate selection in respective constituencies.
Out of the 397 Zila Parishad constituencies, BJP has already announced the names of candidates for 318 seats on Wednesday. Among them, 73 seats have been allocated to ally, Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), while other alliance partners have also been offered seats based on mutual understanding and request.
“When alliances are nurtured with sincerity and respect, they become stronger — a vital aspect in a democratic setup. Merely forming an alliance is not enough; it must be upheld with honesty and dignity,” Saikia said.
In contrast, he alleged that the Opposition was creating confusion in the guise of alliance politics and expressed hope that they too would fight the election with strength.
Following the announcement of the Zila Parishad and Anchalik Panchayat candidates, a significant number of candidates have filed their nomination papers. The party also declared candidates for the remaining five Zila Parishad constituencies, of which four have been allotted to women and one to a male candidate.
With this, a total of 176 seats have now been given to women, reflecting the party’s commitment to women’s representation. Similarly, seat-sharing for the 2,157 Anchalik Panchayat constituencies was carried out following extensive discussions at the district and mandal levels.
Notably, chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma is scheduled to address 27 public rallies, while the BJP state president will lead more than 50 campaign meetings. Other key leaders and alliance members are also expected to participate in the meetings.