Guwahati, Jan 16: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is confident of returning to power with a strong majority in the upcoming Assam Assembly elections, likely to be held in March or April.

Speaking to reporters after offering prayers at the Mata Tripura Sundari temple in Udaipur of Gomati district, Sarma said the election schedule is expected to be announced in February. He said the BJP’s confidence is based on the performance of the state government and claimed that all electoral promises made for the 126-member Assembly had been fulfilled.

According to the Chief Minister, the election campaign will focus on development and identity-related issues. He said around 1.6 lakh government jobs have been provided to youths in Assam over the past five years through what he described as a transparent recruitment process.

Sarma also referred to the issue of alleged Bangladeshi infiltration in the Northeast, particularly in Assam, and termed it a complex challenge. He stated that demographic changes in the state remain a concern and said steps are being taken by the Assam and Tripura governments to address the issue.

He further stressed the need to strengthen measures along the Indo-Bangladesh border, adding that continued BJP rule in Assam and Tripura, along with electoral success in West Bengal, would be important from his perspective.