Amit Shah meets top Assam BJP leaders in Guwahati with focus on polls

'Select members of the election management committee and the state core committee are participating in the meeting. The discussion will revolve around the Assembly elections,' a party spokesperson said.

Guwahati: Union Home Minister Amit Shah reached the state BJP headquarters on Friday evening for a meeting with top party functionaries with the focus on the upcoming Assam Assembly elections.

He was greeted by state party president Dilip Saikia and other leaders with traditional ‘gamosas’ (traditional Assamese scarf).

Shah, who arrived in Assam around midnight on Thursday on his second visit to this northeastern state within a month, attended two events at Dibrugarh and Dhemaji earlier during the day.

A party spokesperson said earlier on Friday that the meeting at the state headquarters will be a closed-door meeting with senior leaders, as the BJP seeks a third straight term in the state.

"Select members of the election management committee and the state core committee are participating in the meeting. The discussion will revolve around the Assembly elections," he said.

Besides Saikia, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Union ministers Sarbananda Sonowal and Pabitra Margherita, among others, are expected to be present at the meeting.

The spokesperson further said that since the seat-sharing arrangements with the alliance partners have not been finalised yet, party ticket allotment is unlikely to figure prominently in the discussion.

Assembly elections are due in the state within a few months.

The BJP currently leads a coalition government in Assam with the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and United People's Party Liberal (UPPL), while the Bodoland People's Front (BPF) has also extended support.

The saffron party has maintained that its alliance with the regional parties will continue, though the formalities are being worked out.

"Amit Shah ji is expected to take an update on the progress in the electioneering process so far and also provide his guidance on the road ahead," the spokesperson added.

Shah is scheduled to leave for West Bengal after the meeting with the party leaders here.