The Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday, March 31, 2026, unveiled its “Sankalpa Patra” — a 31-point manifesto for the Assam Assembly elections — in Guwahati, pledging measures from a Uniform Civil Code and two lakh government jobs to a flood-free Assam and a plan to develop Dibrugarh as a second capital within five years if re-elected for a third consecutive term.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Union Ministers Nirmala Sitharaman and Sarbananda Sonowal, and state BJP president Dilip Saikia attended the launch. The party said it had received 2.45 lakh suggestions while drafting the document. “Our resolve is to make a secure Assam, a developed Assam,” Saikia said.
The manifesto opens with identity and immigration measures, promising to implement the Immigrants (Expulsion from Assam) Act, 1950, to speed up detection and expulsion of illegal immigrants. It pledges to reclaim encroached land, extend land rights to genuine citizens under Mission Basundhara, free religious and cultural sites from encroachment, strengthen the Satra Aayog, and redevelop heritage sites such as Madhupur Satra and Talatal Ghar.
On law and governance, the BJP commits to working towards a Uniform Civil Code while exempting Sixth Schedule areas and tribal communities. It also promises a dedicated law to end what it terms “Love Jihad” and measures against “Land Jihad.”
Infrastructure plans are extensive, with a proposed Rs 5 lakh crore Asom Gati Shakti Master Plan to position Assam as India’s eastern gateway. Projects listed include a Greenfield Siliguri–Shillong–Silchar expressway, a Gohpur–Numaligarh underwater road-and-rail tunnel across the Brahmaputra, a Guwahati ring road, a Guwahati–Tinsukia expressway via Dibrugarh, new Vande Bharat train services on several routes, proposed greenfield airports at Manas, Umrangso, Charaideo, Diphu, Majuli and Doloo, a Water Metro for Guwahati, Dibrugarh and Tezpur, and river logistics hubs at Bogibeel, Pandu and Jogighopa.
To tackle perennial flooding, the party proposes a Badh Mukt Assam Mission with over Rs 18,000 crore, including a River Rejuvenation Mission to rebuild embankments using modern technology, systematic dredging of National Waterway-2, and a youth volunteer Badh Nirikkhak Bahini to monitor embankments.
Employment and entrepreneurship pledges include two lakh government jobs, the Chief Minister’s Atmanirbhar Asom Abhijan (financial assistance up to Rs 5 lakh for 10 lakh youth), a Rs 25,000 grant for fresh graduates under the Jibon Prerana Scheme, and a Rs 10,000 wage subsidy per employee for new industries.
On education, the manifesto promises free schooling from kindergarten to postgraduate level for the poor, Rs 8,000 crore for 1,000 CM Model Schools, appointment of over 70,000 teachers in five years, and an Education City with Indian and foreign university campuses.
Welfare proposals include raising the monthly Orunodoi benefit to Rs 3,000 in phases and extending coverage to 15 lakh more households, women-run community canteens called Aair Pakghor, phased daily wage increases for tea garden workers to Rs 500, land pattas and housing for eligible families, and a Tea Tribes Wage Reform Expert Committee.
The BJP also promises to pursue Scheduled Tribe status for six communities, constitutional status for seven autonomous councils, and recommend seven more communities for the central OBC list. Health pledges include a five-year Assam Swasthya Utkarsha Abhijan with a Rs 50,000 crore corpus and introduction of proton therapy for cancer. The manifesto targets doubling Assam’s economy to $150 billion by 2031 and $300 billion by 2036, backed by an Asom Electronics Mission with a Rs 1,000 crore corpus.
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman framed the economic case at the launch, citing figures she said show Assam’s GSDP rising from Rs 2.24 lakh crore in 2015–16 to Rs 7.41 lakh crore and per capita income rising from Rs 1.03 lakh in 2020–21 to Rs 1.59 lakh in 2024–25. She highlighted central transfers she said have increased sharply and pointed to projects including the Tata Electronics plant in Jagiroad, the Numaligarh refinery expansion, and the Namrup plant revival. “This manifesto has been built on a decade of delivery,” she said.
Sarbananda Sonowal described the Sankalp Patra as a people’s document. “Our aim is to make Assam the strongest state in the country,” he said. Assam votes on April 9 across 126 constituencies, with results due on May 4; the BJP-led NDA seeks a third straight term while Congress aims to return to power.
Original Source: https://www.indiatodayne.in/elections/story/from-floods-to-identity-decoding-bjps-31-promise-manifesto-for-assam-1367968-2026-03-31?utm_source=rssfeed
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Publish Date: 2026-03-31 10:15:00
