Guwahati, April 9 Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma cast his vote for the assembly elections on Thursday and asserted that people will give a decisive mandate to the BJP-led NDA.
He was accompanied by his wife, Riniki Bhuyan Sarma, and their two children, Nandil and Sukanya, as they exercised their franchise at No. 15 Garal Buniyadi Lower Primary School. Sarma, who is leading the NDA in the state, is contesting from Jalukbari, a seat he has represented since 2001.
The BJP-led NDA is seeking a third consecutive term in the state. Before voting, he offered prayers at the Kamakhya and Doul Gobinda temples.
"As a voter, I have performed my duty, and I urge all voters to perform their duty as well for the sake of continued development over the next five years," Sarma told reporters after casting his vote.
He said people would give a "decisive mandate to the BJP-led NDA" and expressed hope for a good voter turnout, especially after the weather cleared following morning rains in many parts of the state.
"We have seen in past elections also that people of Assam come out in more numbers to vote than in many other states," he maintained.
The incumbent chief minister expressed gratitude to the people of Assam for their support when he toured the state extensively in the past few months.
While stating that he couldn't campaign much in his Jalukbari constituency ahead of this election, Sarma vowed to work with double the vigour for his people after the results.
Asked about Congress' allegations against him and his wife, Sarma said, "Where is this Congress?... What party is this? I haven't heard of it."
On Congress leader Pawan Khera accusing Sarma's wife of having multiple passports and offshore assets, the chief minister said, "Pawan Khera is a 'bhagora' (absconder). Why should I reply to him?"
To a query on whether the "unparliamentary language" was used by him against his opponents towards the end of the campaign, Sarma said he "doesn't need a certificate" from the media house which had put the question to him.
He claimed to have never heard of that media house and declined to respond to further political questions, citing Election Commission guidelines.
"I don't want to break any rules and have FIRs registered against me unnecessarily. I will answer all questions after 5 pm (when voting ends)," he said.
Polling for the 126-member Assam Assembly began at 7 am and will continue till 5 pm. The counting of votes will take place on May 4.
