Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma dismissed allegations by the Congress that its candidates were being intimidated ahead of the panchayat elections, asserting that no formal complaints had been lodged and accusing the opposition party of trying to tarnish the state’s image.
Speaking to reporters, the Chief Minister said the Congress was attempting to create unnecessary controversy and mislead the public. “Congress is always trying to defame Assam. They are making claims that their candidates are being threatened to withdraw nominations, but there is no credible evidence to support this. I have not seen any such reports in local newspapers or television channels,” Sarma said.
Responding to accusations that the police were being used to pressure candidates, Sarma stressed that the administration had not received any official complaint. “If something like this had really happened, it would have been reported widely. The Rabha Hasong elections went off peacefully. Assam has over 22,000 villages, and they are only pointing to one or two isolated examples,” he said.
Sarma urged Congress leaders to approach the authorities with specific details if they truly believed their candidates were being harassed. “If someone is being threatened, they should immediately inform the administration. The district administration and police are committed to remaining neutral. If any complaint is filed, we will act on it without delay,” he added.
The Chief Minister also clarified that there has been no large-scale withdrawal of candidates. “Over 2,000 candidates have filed nominations for the 300 Zilla Parishad seats. There has been no sign of a mass pullout. In fact, this is the highest number of contestants we’ve seen in panchayat polls,” he noted.
Sarma also took a political dig, saying the BJP welcomed a strong electoral contest. “I want the Congress to fight unitedly. These elections will help us assess where we stand ahead of the next Assembly polls. A year has passed since the Lok Sabha elections, and we have another year to go before the Assembly elections. We want to use the panchayat polls to understand the public mood,” he said.
