Sonakshi Sarkar

Movement along the India–Bhutan international border in Assam’s Tamulpur district has been restricted from Monday evening as part of election security measures for the upcoming Assam Legislative Assembly polls.The restrictions came into force from 5 pm on April 6 and will remain in place until the completion of polling on April 9. The order was issued by District Magistrate and District Election Officer Simi Karan under Section 163(2) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023.According to the official directive, all land entry and exit points along the international border have been sealed for the duration of the restriction. The administration…

The Egyptian Embassy has dismissed as “forged” a document circulating on social media that claims to show an Egyptian passport in the name of Riniki Bhuyan Sharma, wife of Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.In a clarification issued amid a growing political controversy, the Embassy said the document in question is not genuine and does not represent any valid passport issued by Egyptian authorities. It stated that the document appears to be fabricated, with Sharma’s name and photograph placed onto it.The development comes after Pawan Khera of the Congress raised allegations suggesting that Sharma possessed an Egyptian passport, triggering a…

Riniki Bhuyan Sharma, wife of Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, has strongly denied allegations made by Congress leader Pawan Khera regarding multiple foreign passports and undisclosed overseas assets, calling the claims “fabricated” and legally actionable.In a statement shared on social media platform X on April 5, Sharma dismissed the documents circulated by Khera as “poorly fabricated” and said they lacked even basic verification. She alleged that the material appeared manipulated, including the possible use of artificial intelligence tools and photo editing techniques.In a sharply worded response, Sharma criticised Khera for what she described as irresponsible conduct expected from a…

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday launched a sharp political attack on the Congress, claiming that the party has “finished” in the state and that recent allegations raised by its leaders have backfired politically.Speaking amid an ongoing war of words, Sarma said informal “satta bazar” trends now show a rise in projected seats for the BJP-led NDA alliance. According to him, the alliance’s tally moved from 94 seats in the morning to 99 by night after the controversy gained attention. He claimed this reflected a growing shift in public support in favour of the ruling alliance.The Chief Minister…

Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president Gaurav Gogoi has intensified his party’s attack on Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, alleging corruption in the state and calling for a formal investigation into the Chief Minister’s alleged links with businessman Shyamkanu Mahanta. Speaking at an election rally in Sarupathar in Golaghat district, Gogoi addressed party workers and local residents who had gathered in support of Congress candidate Jiban Chutia. In his speech, he raised concerns over what he described as a growing nexus between political power and select business interests in the state. He said the allegations surrounding Shyamkanu Mahanta should be…

The Congress has released its manifesto for the upcoming Assam Assembly elections, laying out a broad roadmap focused on governance, identity, and development. The document highlights 11 key priority areas and repeats the party’s earlier announced “five guarantees”. The manifesto was released at an election rally in Bokajan in Karbi Anglong district in the presence of Assam Pradesh Congress Committee president Gaurav Gogoi and other senior leaders. According to party leaders, the manifesto covers a wide range of sectors including governance reforms, protection of identity, healthcare, infrastructure, industrial growth, agriculture, rural and urban development, and climate-related challenges. The party has…

The 2026 Assam Assembly election has once again highlighted a clear gender gap in electoral participation, with women making up only a small share of the total candidates in the fray.Out of 722 candidates contesting across 126 constituencies, only 59 are women, according to affidavit data analysed from Election Commission records. This means women account for just about 8 per cent of all candidates, a figure that remains unchanged from the 2021 Assembly elections.Despite a reduction in the total number of candidates this time following delimitation, the proportion of women has not improved. Male candidates continue to dominate the electoral…

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has completed the first stage of randomisation of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) for the upcoming Assembly elections in five states, including Assam, along with bye-elections in six other states. Officials said the process was carried out using the EVM Management System (EMS) and was done in the presence of representatives from recognised political parties. According to the Commission, the randomisation process is being followed in two stages to ensure fairness and transparency in the use of voting machines. In the first stage, EVMs are randomly allocated from district warehouses to different Assembly constituencies. This…