BJP and alliance candidate Debashish Sharma on Thursday filed his nomination papers for the Nagaon Lok Sabha by-election at the office of the District Commissioner, with thousands of party workers and supporters accompanying him.
BJP Assam Pradesh president Dilip Saikia, state ministers Pijush Hazarika and Keshab Mahanta, MP Kamakhya Prasad Tasa, several MLAs and party office-bearers were present during the nomination filing, according to a party release.
The MLAs in attendance included Rupak Sharma, Jitu Goswami, Pradyut Bordoloi, Shashikanta Das, Prithviraj Rabha, Shibu Mishra and Ramakanta Deuri. Functionaries of the BJP and its alliance partner Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) also joined the event.
Addressing the gathering, Saikia accused the Congress of pursuing what he described as a politics of "destruction" in Assam for decades and alleged that the party had exploited and deprived the state's people.
He contrasted this with the BJP-led governments at the Centre and in Assam, saying the Narendra Modi government had been serving people across sections of society since 2014, while the BJP government in Assam had been doing so since 2016, guided by the principles of "Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas".
Saikia also highlighted Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma's efforts towards developing Assam, saying the state was moving towards becoming a rapidly developing and progressive state.
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He said people in Assam were placing increasing trust in the Narendra Modi-led central government and the Himanta Biswa Sarma-led state government.
On the Nagaon bypoll, Saikia said voters in the constituency had decided to elect Sharma with a large mandate in the interest of development.
Sharma, meanwhile, sought the support, cooperation and blessings of the people of the Nagaon Lok Sabha constituency.
The BJP's Central Election Committee approved Sharma as its candidate for the Nagaon Lok Sabha by-election on Friday.
The bypoll is scheduled to be held on October 6, with counting of votes set for October 9. The Election Commission of India announced the schedule on September 8 for vacant Assembly constituencies across Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and West Bengal, along with the Nagaon parliamentary constituency in Assam.
According to the Election Commission, polling will take place on October 6 and the entire election process will be completed before October 11.
