Guwahati

Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday filed his nomination from the Jalukbari Assembly constituency, seeking a second term in office ahead of the upcoming Assam elections.

The nomination was submitted at the Kamrup (Metro) District Commissioner’s office in Guwahati, where Sarma arrived accompanied by a large number of BJP supporters, signalling strong backing as the polls approach.

Outlining his priorities, Sarma said his campaign would focus on safeguarding Assam’s identity while accelerating the state’s development. He expressed confidence in receiving widespread public support, noting that this would be his seventh electoral contest.

He also responded to remarks by Assam Congress president Gaurav Gogoi, thanking him for framing the election as a contest against an individual rather than a party, and described it as a form of recognition.

Sarma further claimed that more leaders from the Congress would join the BJP in the coming days and emphasised his aim of uniting the Hindu community under the party’s fold.

A five-time MLA from Jalukbari, Sarma first entered the Assembly in 2001 as a Congress leader and later switched to the BJP ahead of the 2016 elections.

His wife, Riniki Bhuyan Sharma, expressed confidence in his re-election, citing public approval of the government’s work and the changes witnessed in the state.

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Assam will go to the polls for its 126-member Assembly on April 9, with counting scheduled for May 4. In the 2021 elections, the BJP-led NDA secured 75 seats, including 60 won by the BJP, while the Congress-led alliance managed 16 seats.