Assam Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Why the Northeastern state of India is important?
Assam has 14 Lok Sabha constituencies including Karimganj, Kokrajhar, Silchar, Autonomous District, Dhubri, Gauhati, Mangaldoi, Kaliabor, Lakhimpur, Dibrugarh, Barpeta, Tezpur, Nowgong and Jorhat.
The state is of utmost importance not just due to the good amount of Lok Sabha seats it holds but also because it shares boundaries with countries like Bangladesh and Bhutan.
Prior to the year 2014, the Congress party had a strong presence in the state, however, since then the party's popularity has declined making way for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
In the 2019 general elections, the saffron party bagged nine out of the total 14 Lok Sabha seats while the Congress won just three seats. Similarly, the BJP had won seven seats in the state in the 2014 general elections.
Congress won seven and nine seats in 2009 and 2004 respectively.
At a time when Congress was looking to make a strong comeback in the state, the party's Assam working president Rana Goswami quit and is likely to join the BJP. Goswami was a very senior leader and his exit is expected add to the party's troubles ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.
On the other hand, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been actively reaching out to the public in Assam and focussing on projects aimed at catering to their needs. He recently laid the foundation stone of projects worth over Rs 11,000 crore which includes multiple road upgradation projects, sports and health infrastructure projects, among others.
PM Modi, while addressing an event in Guwahati, said that peace has returned to Assam in the last ten years, and over 7,000 people have put down arms.
"More than 10 major peace accords have been signed. At one point in time, I worked in Assam for the party. I have seen with my eyes incidents like road blockages and bomb blasts in Guwahati. It is a matter of the past now," he said.
