Modi Holds Final Assam Rallies as Election Fever Grips Northeast India

Prime Minister addresses three constituencies in last campaign push before April 9 Assam Assembly polls; Gandhi targets CM Sarma

Campaign Enters Final Stretch

With Assam set to vote on April 9, the last week of campaigning has seen the country's top political heavyweights descend on the northeastern state in force. Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed three back-to-back election rallies on Monday — at Bhowanipur-Sarbhog in Barpeta district, Hojai in central Assam, and Dibrugarh in Upper Assam — as the Bharatiya Janata Party makes a concerted push for a third consecutive term in power.

Monday's visit marks Modi's final campaign blitz in the state ahead of single-phase polling on April 9, with Union Home Minister Amit Shah scheduled to hold his own rallies a day later on April 7.

BJP Eyes Historic Hat-Trick

Modi has repeatedly framed this election as a quest for a "hat-trick," declaring at earlier rallies that a third consecutive BJP government in Assam is a certainty. The party currently governs the state under Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and is seeking to consolidate gains made since 2016.

At a rally in Gogamukh earlier this month, Modi announced that a Uniform Civil Code would be introduced in Assam to safeguard the rights of indigenous communities and protect cultural heritage in Sixth Schedule areas. The promise has since become a centrepiece of the BJP's campaign pitch.

Modi Attacks TMC in Bengal

The Prime Minister spent Sunday on the campaign trail in West Bengal, which goes to polls between April 23 and 29. Modi took sharp aim at the ruling Trinamool Congress government, declaring that it would be held accountable after the BJP's expected victory in that state. According to PTI, Modi assured supporters that a full reckoning of what he described as the TMC's "sins" would follow the election results.

Gandhi Targets Sarma

Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi held a campaign event on Sunday in the Biswanath district of Assam, using the platform to sharpen his attack on the state's sitting Chief Minister. Gandhi called Himanta Biswa Sarma the "most corrupt and hate-spreading Chief Minister" in the country, according to reports from the event. The remarks signal Congress's strategy of making Sarma's leadership a central electoral issue rather than targeting the BJP's national narrative alone.

Sarma himself is contesting the Jalukbari seat, where he faces Congress candidate Bidisha Neog along with an independent challenger.

South India: TVK Rally Called Off

Campaigning is also underway in Tamil Nadu, where elections are scheduled for April 23. However, Monday saw a setback for the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), the party floated by actor-turned-politician Vijay. The party called off planned rallies in the Chennai constituencies of Villivakkam and T Nagar, citing insufficient time granted by police to move between the two venues.

According to news agency ANI, TVK sources confirmed the party intends to file a complaint with the Election Commission of India over the matter. The cancellation is unlikely to derail TVK's broader campaign, but it hands rivals a talking point heading into the final weeks before polling day in the southern state.

Markets Rattle on Global Cues

Indian equity markets opened in the red on Monday morning, as global investor sentiment took a hit following US President Donald Trump's remarks threatening fresh pressure on Iran. The development added to existing jitters around trade tariffs and energy prices, rattling domestic indices at the start of the week's trading session.

What Comes Next

With Assam's polling day just three days away and campaigning set to conclude on Tuesday evening, the final hours of electioneering will be closely watched. Assam CM Sarma had earlier promised voters two free LPG cylinders annually during Bihu and Durga Puja, a pledge likely to feature prominently in the BJP's closing arguments to voters. All eyes now turn to April 9, when 126 assembly constituencies across Assam will decide whether the saffron camp achieves the hat-trick its top leader has been promising.