Amit Shah, JP Nadda in Assam today, will inaugurate biggest BJP office in northeastern region

Guwahati (Assam): The Bharatiya Janata Party's national president JP Nadda and Union Home Minister Amit Shah will be on a two-day visit to Assam from Friday (October 7) to inaugurate the newly constructed Assam State BJP office at Basistha area in Guwahati on October 8. This will be the biggest office of the party in the northeastern region, according to Assam State BJP president Bhabesh Kalita. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and state party leaders will be present on the occasion. Nadda and Shah will also attend the party workers' meeting at the Veterinary College playground, Khanapara in Guwahati.

According to Assam State BJP president, "Our party national president JP Nadda and Union Home Minister Amit Shah will reach Guwahati on October 7 evening and they will attend a party meeting. They will also attend party workers meeting to be held at Veterinary College playground, Khanapara where around 35,000-40,000 party workers across the state will participate." Bhabesh Kalita told ANI that preparations for the programmes have already been made.

Official sources told ANI that Amit Shah will attend a series of official meetings on Saturday evening and Sunday morning. The Union Home Minister will attend the Conference of the Superintendent of Police at the Police Training College at Dergaon on Sunday. He will depart from the state on Sunday following several official engagements.

The soon-to-be inaugurated Assam BJP state headquarters is expected to be full of all modern amenities. The building, spread over 95,000 square feet, will have six floors and an open rooftop premise, besides having an auditorium to accommodate 350 people along with top hi-tech conference halls with a capacity of 40 people each. 

The new office will also have five meeting halls to accommodate a strength of 50 people each, besides having a big press conference room along with a reception and a canteen. Notably, the foundation stone for this office of the BJP in Assam was laid by the then-party president Amit Shah in February 2019.

"Assam is the doorway to the northeast. Assam is the state which actually opened the fortunes for our party in this region," an Assam state office bearer told ANI.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had made a special emphasis on the progress of the north-east region through various programmes and even he himself made over 50 visits to the region. The BJP came to power in Assam in 2016, for the first time breaking the record term of the Congress party and becoming the only party in the state apart from the Congress to have back-to-back governments. 

In 2017, the BJP formed a government in Manipur and also repeated its government again in 2022. Another first by BJP in the region was the formation of the government in Tripura, breaking the Left rule of a couple of decades in 2018. The BJP continues to be in power in Arunachal Pradesh as well as in coalition governments both in Meghalaya and Nagaland. 

It may be noted that the BJP has formed a new core committee along with a few others including an election management committee for upcoming elections. Shah and Nadda will meet core committee members on Friday evening to discuss various issues related to the state.

It is believed that the programme is scheduled to kick-start the Lok Sabha poll preparation in Assam and other northeastern states. Three north-eastern states -- Meghalaya, Tripura, and Nagaland are going for poll early next year, while elections in Mizoram will be held in the last part of 2023.

BJP is facing a sweet and sour relationship with Conrad Sangma-led National People`s Party (NPP) with Sangma announcing for going to elections without any pre-poll tie with the BJP in Meghalaya, while in Nagaland, the BJP has been enjoying a more favourable alliance with the ruling National Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP). In Mizoram, though the ruling Mizo National Front (MNF) is a part of the NDA, there were some clear discomforts between the allies.

According to party sources, Amit Shah and Nadda may discuss these issues with Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who is the chairman of Northeast Democratic Alliance (NEDA). The NEDA was launched in 2016 with the objective of uniting the non-Congress parties in the region.

(With ANI/IANS Inputs)