GUWAHATI : Union Home Minister Amit Shah on December 29 urged the people of Assam to elect a government in the upcoming Assembly elections that would take a firm stand against infiltration while accelerating the state’s development, calling the polls crucial for Assam’s future.

Addressing a public gathering after inaugurating the 5,000-seat Jyoti-Bishnu Antarjatik Kala Mandir auditorium, Shah said the Assembly elections scheduled for March-April next year would determine the direction of the state over the coming years. He appealed to voters to return the BJP to power, asserting that the party would act decisively against illegal infiltration.

“In the elections next year, elect a government that does not allow infiltration and works for the progress of Assam,” Shah said, urging voters to “bless the BJP with another five years.” He claimed that a re-elected BJP government would ensure that “every infiltrator is identified and sent back.”

The Union Home Minister said Assam had witnessed significant development over the past decade under BJP governments at both the state and central levels. Referring to 10 years of BJP rule in Assam and 11 years of the Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre, Shah said sustained efforts had been made to strengthen infrastructure, improve governance and promote economic growth in the state.

Taking aim at the Congress, Shah alleged that the infiltration issue in Assam was the outcome of past policies driven by vote-bank politics. “For the sake of votes, the Congress encouraged infiltration, which has today threatened the identity of Assam,” he claimed, adding that the BJP was committed to safeguarding the state’s demographic and cultural interests.

Shah also spoke of what he described as a “cultural and economic renaissance” under the BJP government. Referring to the newly inaugurated Jyoti-Bishnu Antarjatik Kala Mandir, he said the auditorium symbolised Assam’s cultural resurgence alongside its development trajectory.

The Home Minister’s remarks come as political parties step up mobilisation ahead of the Assam Assembly elections, with issues such as infiltration, identity and development expected to dominate the campaign narrative in the months leading up to the polls.