Silchar: Dipika Pandey Singh, a minister in Jharkhand and Congress MLA, on Monday expressed confidence that Gaurav Gogoi will become the next Chief Minister of Assam after the upcoming Assembly elections.

Speaking to the media, Singh said that people in Assam are unhappy with the administration of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and are looking for a change in government.

“In the future, a government of the common people will be formed there. Gaurav Gogoi will be the Chief Minister,” she said.

The Election Commission of India has announced that polling for all 126 seats of the Assam Assembly will take place in a single phase on April 9, while counting of votes will be held on May 4. The Model Code of Conduct has already come into force across the state.

The elections are expected to witness a direct contest between the BJP-led NDA, which is seeking a third consecutive term under Himanta Biswa Sarma, and the Congress party that is aiming to return to power.

In the 2021 Assembly elections, the NDA alliance—comprising the Bharatiya Janata Party, Asom Gana Parishad, and United People’s Party Liberal—secured 75 of the 126 seats in the Assembly. The elections saw a voter turnout of 86.2 percent from more than 2.2 crore registered voters.

Singh also spoke about the ongoing biennial Rajya Sabha elections being held in 10 states, including Assam. She said the Congress has the right to contest this time and expressed confidence that all party candidates will win.

Polling for 37 Rajya Sabha seats began on Monday, with counting of votes scheduled for 5 pm.