Page 29 - Assam

Polygamy, child marriage not LS poll issues in Assam, says Assam CM Himanta

Asked if topics like polygamy or child marriage are election issues, Biswa replied in negative

LS polls: Assam CEO issues notice to Cong over model code violation charges

The Assam Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) has issued notice to the Congress on allegation of violation of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC), raised by the BJP. A complaint was filed by the BJP on Monday, alleging that the Congress 'guarantee cards', which are being distributed house-to-house, were in violation of the MCC. The CEO issued a show-cause notice to the state Congress president on Monday evening, seeking a response within 2 pm of April 11. "Whereas on the basis of a prima facie scrutiny, it appears that these Guarantee Cards bearing the Symbol and Photographs of Star Campaigners of your party are violative of the Model Code of Conduct guidelines," the notice said. It said the complaint by BJP stated that the 'guarantee cards' promised Rs one lakh to every educated youth in the first year and Rs one lakh per year to one female member of every poor family, without disclosing the source of funds to fulfil these promises. The CEO maintained that prima facie scrutiny indicated th

LS polls: Amit Shah to address rally, take part in roadshow in Assam today

Union Home Minister Amit Shah will visit Assam on Tuesday to campaign for BJP Lok Sabha candidates in the state. Shah is the first prominent national leader to participate in campaigning in this North Eastern state since the announcement of the poll schedule. "Tomorrow will be in Assam to attend a mega rally in Lakhimpur Lok Sabha and a roadshow in Tinsukia (Dibrugarh Lok Sabha). Assam is set to secure Modi Ji's goal of '400 paar'. Eager to meet the state's vibrant people," Shah had posted on X on Monday evening. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma will be accompanying Shah during the two campaign programmes. Shah is scheduled to address a public meeting at Chukuli Bhoria in Lakhimpur Lok Sabha constituency in the afternoon, BJP party sources said here. Lakhimpur is held by the BJP, with incumbent MP Pradan Baruah seeking a third successive term as he is pitted against Congress candidate Uday Shankar Hazarika. The Union Home minister will also take part in a road show from Chaliha

Only one application received so far in Assam under CAA: CM Himanta

Only one application has so far been received for citizenship under the CAA in Assam, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Monday. The lone application was made in Barak Valley, he said, without elaborating further. "The anti-CAA movement was based on lies and they (who were at the forefront) will have to answer now. So many days have passed, and only one application has been made in the state till date," Sarma said. The CM was talking to reporters after an election rally at Sonari in Sivasagar district, which comes under the Jorhat Lok Sabha seat. The Centre had last month implemented the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019, notifying the rules four years after the law was passed by Parliament to fast-track citizenship for undocumented non-Muslim migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan who came to India before December 31, 2014. Sarma also said there will be no contest in the five constituencies going to polls in the first phase on April 19. Among the remaining ni

Supreme Court orders to maintain status quo at Doloo tea estate in Assam

The Supreme Court on Monday directed the Assam government to maintain the status quo at the Doloo tea estate in the Cachar district of Assam, where Greenfield airport is proposed to be constructed. A bench of Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra questioned the state government for clearing the shrubs in the tea garden without an environment impact assessment report. The top court also issued notices to the Centre, ministry of environment and forests, Assam government and others on a plea filed by Tapas Guha and others. Advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for the petitioners, submitted that the NGT erred in decision and even for the grant of site clearance and in-principle approvals, environmental clearance is necessary. The NGT on January 25 had dismissed the plea by Guha and others on the ground that environmental impact assessment report is awaited and the environmental clearance for the airport in question has not been granted. "Counsel for

Lok Sabha polls: Atishi embarks on 3-day visit to Assam to campaign for AAP

Senior AAP leader Atishi will be on a three-day visit to Assam starting Monday to campaign for her party ahead of the Lok Sabha polls. She will be campaigning in Dibrugarh and Tezpur districts, according to the AAP. "Kejriwal's revolution will come to Assam as well. For the next three days, I will be in Assam and share Kejriwal ji's dream of a developed India and his fight against dictatorship with everyone," Atishi said in a post on X in Hindi. AAP national convener and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on March 21 in the Delhi excise policy-linked money laundering case. He is in judicial custody till April 15 and is currently lodged in Tihar jail. The case pertains to alleged irregularities in the formulation and implementation of the Delhi government's excise policy 2021-22 which was later scrapped. While Kejriwal has denied any wrongdoing, the ED told the Delhi High Court last week that the chief minister was the "kingpin" and the

Assam govt will provide 50,000 additional jobs: CM Himanta Biswa Sarma

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday said that his government will provide 50,000 additional jobs, besides the one lakh appointments it had promised people previously. He also assured people that they would receive more benefits under ration cards as services would be expanded, and also more women beneficiaries would be added to the 'Orunudoi' scheme. Speaking at an election rally at Titabor in Jorhat district, Sarma said, "We had promised people of giving one lakh jobs and the Congress had laughed at us then. But we kept our promise and gave employment to one lakh youths." "Now, in the next few years, we will give 50,000 more jobs, spread across different departments such as home and education," he said. The CM said that more beneficiaries will be enrolled in different welfare schemes and the facilities will be further expanded. He said more beneficiaries would be added to Orunudoi scheme, under which Rs 1,250 is transferred every month to the bank accounts of wom

PM Modi to address rally in Nalbari, Assam on April 17 ahead of LS polls

He added that, for now, the schedule of Prime Minister Modi and the Union Home Minister was fixed and wasn't likely to change

Assam govt to take full responsibility for educating girl students: Himanta

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday promised that the BJP government in the state will shoulder the responsibility of educating girl students up to the postgraduate level, and families with a ration card will receive life insurance paid for by the government. Currently, all girls who pass the class 10 examinations are given a cycle or a scooter, but from this year, an amount of Rs 10,000 will be deposited for two years in their bank accounts while they are studying for the class 12 board examinations, the CM said. He was speaking at public rallies before the filing of nominations by BJP candidates for Nagaon and Darrang-Udalguri constituencies going to polls in the second phase on April 26. After the girls pass class 12, they will be given Rs 12,500 for taking admission in college, while those going for postgraduate studies will be given Rs 25,000, he added. 'Betak ma baap porhabo, betik Mama porhabo (Parents will educate their sons but Mama, as he is called by ...

Criminal cases against 4 candidates in 1st phase of LS polls in Assam

Four candidates, including Congress nominees Gaurav Gogoi and Premlal Ganju, in the fray for the first phase of Assam Lok Sabha polls on April 19 have criminal cases pending against them though none have been convicted, according to affidavits submitted by them at the time of filing of nomination papers. Besides Gogoi and Ganju, Sonitpur's Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) contestant Rishiraj Kaundinya and Kaziranga's Bharatiya Gana Parishad candidate Sailen Chandra Malakar also have criminal cases, related to corruption and cheating respectively, pending against them. There are 35 candidates in the fray for the April 19 first phase polls to five Lok Sabha constituencies of Lakhimpur, Dibrugarh, Jorhat, Kaziranga and Sonitpur. Gogoi, the Congress deputy leader in the outgoing Lok Sabha and party candidate from Jorhat seat has a case filed against him at the Basistha police station in Kamrup (Metro) district under various sections of Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, 1984 during the

Amit Shah speaks to CMs of WB, Assam, Manipur after storm hits 3 states

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday spoke to the chief ministers of West Bengal, Assam and Manipur in the wake of severe losses suffered by the three states due to a storm, and assured them of all possible central help. Shah also appealed to the BJP workers in the three states to provide every possible help to the affected people during this hour of distress. "Deeply concerned about the severe loss suffered by West Bengal, Assam, and Manipur due to a storm. Spoke to the Chief Ministers and assured them of all possible assistance. I extend my sincerest condolences to the families of the deceased and pray for the swift recovery of the injured," he wrote on X. Four people died and over 100 were injured as a storm wreaked havoc in parts of Jalpaiguri district in northern West Bengal on Sunday, while a child died and two persons were reported missing after a boat capsized in the Brahmaputra in South Salmara-Mankachar district, amid heavy rain and hailstorm across Assam. There were a

WATCH: Guwahati airport roof partially collapses due to storm, no injuries

Amid heavy rain and storm, a portion of the ceiling of the Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport in Assam's Guwahati collapsed on Sunday, triggering chaos at the premises

Failed to put up united Oppn candidates due to politics: Assam Cong chief

Assam Congress president Bhupen Kumar Borah has asserted that the opposition parties' attempt to contest the Lok Sabha polls unitedly in the state fell apart "due to national politics". He claimed that the AAP contesting separately in the state would be its "biggest blunder", while the TMC's refusal to concede any constituency to the Congress in West Bengal "impacted the alliance adversely" in the northeastern state. "We had formed the United Opposition Forum, Assam (UOFA) eight months before the INDIA bloc was constituted. Ours is a 16-party forum and out of these, three are contesting the Lok Sabha polls directly. But it is not due to my leadership or politics in the state, but due to national politics," Borah said in an interview with PTI. Of the total 14 seats in the state, the Congress is contesting 13, leaving one for the UOFA member Assam Jaitya Parishad (AJP). The other UOFA constituents, which have put up candidates in the state, are the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Trinamool ..

Highlights: BJP fields ex-diplomat Taranjit Sandhu from Amritsar, singer Hans Raj Hans from Faridkot, ex-Cong MP Preneet Kaur from Patiala for LS 2024

From Amit Shah's visit to Assam to US Federal Chair Jerome Powell's statement on interest rates and keeping an eye on inflation, track all the news from around the world here

Home Minister Amit Shah to visit Assam on April 6: CM Himanta Sarma

Union Home Minister will address two election rallies in Lakhimpur and Hojai, which are under the Kaziranga parliamentary constituency

Two-day petrol pump strike scheduled to begin today in Assam, deferred

The petrol pump strike in parts of Assam, scheduled to begin on Saturday morning, was deferred, a leader of their association said. The North East India Petroleum Dealers' Association (Greater Guwahati Unit) had called for 'no purchase no sale' from 5 am on Saturday till 5 am on Monday over a host of demands. Among their demands was the revision of the dealers' commission, which has been pending since 2017. "Following the intervention of the government, we have decided to defer the strike. In the meantime, we will hold further talks with the oil companies on resolving our issues," the leader said. The announcement came hours after the state government brought petroleum dealers and retailers under the Essential Services Maintenance (Assam) Act or ESMA, which prohibits strikes.

AFSPA extended in four districts of Assam for six months, says state govt

The Assam government has extended the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 in four districts for six months from April 1. The state government's political department issued a notification, stating that the 'Disturbed Area' tag under the AFSPA has been extended in areas covering Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, Charaideo and Sivasagar districts. The Assam Police had submitted a report, asserting that there was an improvement in the law and order situation in the state, barring one militant organisation being active in the four districts. The state government's home and political department submitted a proposal to this effect to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, which, after due consideration, decided to maintain the 'status quo' regarding 'disturbed area' for an additional six-month period, an official said. Subsequently, the state government, acting on the directive of the Centre, extended the Act till September 30, 2024, he said. The Act empowers security forces to conduct operations ..

Assam politician lambasted for sleeping on pile of Rs 500 notes in pic

Benjamin Basumatary, a suspended member from Assam's United People's Party Liberal was seen resting on a heap of banknotes in a photo ahead of the Lok Sabha Elections 2024

Lok Sabha polls: 38 candidates file nomination for first phase in Assam

Altogether 38 candidates, including Union minister Sarbananda Sonowal and senior Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi, have filed their nominations for the first phase polls scheduled on April 19 in Assam, an election official said. On the last day of filing of nominations on Wednesday, 26 people filed their papers and they include sitting BJP MP Topon Gogoi in Jorhat, Rajya Sabha MP Kamakhya Prasad Tasa in Kaziranga and MLA Ranjit Dutta in Sonitpur. The constituencies going to the polls in the first phase are Dibrugarh, Jorhat, Lakhimpur, Sonitpur and Kaziranga. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma accompanied Gogoi and Tasa during their nomination filing at Jorhat and Golaghat and exuded confidence that both the candidates would win their respective seats and help Prime Minister Narendra Modi to lead the nation for the third consecutive term. He said that the massive support for Gogoi is reflective of the love and faith people have in the Prime Minister and 'I am sure that he will win by a

LS elections: Sarbananda Sonowal files nomination for Dibrugarh seat

Union minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Tuesday filed his nomination as the BJP candidate for the Dibrugarh parliamentary constituency in Assam, an official said. Sonowal, accompanied by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, filed his nomination papers before Returning Officer Bikram Kairi. Polling for the Dibrugarh constituency will be held on April 19 in the first phase of the general elections. Assam has 14 Lok Sabha seats. Besides Sarma, Sonowal was accompanied by Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) president Atul Bora, United People's Party Liberal (UPPL) leader Promode Bodo, sitting BJP MLA and Union minister Rameswar Teli and state party president Bhabesh Kalita. Sonowal, the Union Minister for Shipping, Ports, Waterways and Ayush, who had represented the constituency in 2004 as an AGP candidate, will contest against United Opposition Front, Assam (UOFA) nominee Lurinjyoti Gogoi. Gogoi is also scheduled to file his nomination later on Tuesday. Braving inclement weather, BJP supporters ca