By Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to visit Assam on March 13 and 14, signalling an intensification of political activity in the northeastern state as preparations gather pace for the upcoming Assembly elections. The visit will include government programmes in Guwahati and Kokrajhar, where the Prime Minister is expected to review development initiatives and interact with local stakeholders.
The trip comes just days before a major youth outreach programme planned by the Bharatiya Janata Party, in which Union Home Minister Amit Shah is scheduled to address a large gathering of young participants in Guwahati on March 15. Party leaders say the conference will bring together nearly one lakh youths from different parts of Assam and will focus on employment opportunities, entrepreneurship, and development initiatives in the state.
Political observers view the back-to-back visits by the Prime Minister and the Home Minister as part of the ruling party’s effort to reinforce its presence ahead of the Assembly polls expected later this year. While the Election Commission has yet to announce the official schedule, preparations within political parties have already begun.
Officials familiar with the arrangements said the Prime Minister’s programmes will highlight infrastructure projects, welfare schemes and regional development initiatives undertaken in Assam in recent years. The state has been a significant political battleground in the Northeast, and the BJP leadership has repeatedly emphasised development and connectivity projects in the region.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said earlier that the BJP is expected to finalise its list of candidates for the 126-member Assembly between March 11 and March 15. The announcement is likely to coincide with heightened campaign activity across the state.
The party has also been conducting outreach programmes such as the ongoing ‘Jan Ashirwad Yatra’, which began on February 28 from the Dhekiajuli Assembly constituency. According to party leaders, the yatra has already covered hundreds of kilometres across dozens of constituencies, with leaders meeting local residents and gathering feedback on government initiatives.
If election dates are pushed back by the Election Commission of India, Sarma indicated that an additional phase of the outreach campaign could be organised to maintain momentum among party workers and supporters.
In the previous Assembly elections held in 2021, the National Democratic Alliance—comprising the BJP, Asom Gana Parishad and United People’s Party Liberal—secured a comfortable majority with 75 seats. The BJP emerged as the largest partner in the alliance with 60 seats.
With campaigning gradually gaining pace, the upcoming visits by the central leadership are expected to play a key role in shaping the political narrative in the state in the weeks ahead.
