Tag: Assam

First Made-in-Assam semiconductors to roll out in a year, defence policy next: CM Himanta Biswa Sarma

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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The Assam government is getting ready to roll out a red carpet for the defence industry. Speaking exclusively to CNBC-TV18, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that the state government will launch an incentive-based defence manufacturing policy within a few months after the election.

Sarma emphasised that after petroleum refining and semiconductors, the defence industry is the next priority for Assam.

Tata Electronics recently announced an investment of ₹27,000 crore to set up a semiconductor assembly and testing plant in Jagiroad, Assam. The Chief Minister said that the state government had been holding discussions with Tata Group for close to a year.

“All regulatory clearances are being given. I have heard that Tatas have already started producing chips in Karnataka on a pilot basis and supplying to customers. Tata Electronics has also taken possession of the land. We are fully aligned,” he added.

Sarma indicated that apart from fiscal incentives, land use concessions have also been given to the Tata Group.

The Chief Minister said that Assam’s own semiconductor policy is better than that of Gujarat, Tamil Nadu or any other state in the country. “Any company that is getting incentives under the Centre’s semiconductor policy will be given 50% of [the government’s] support as a fiscal incentive,” he said.

Speaking about the defence manufacturing policy, Sarma said that Assam is currently studying the defence industrial policies of Gujarat, UP and Karnataka and will soon try to launch a better version. “We will be rooting strongly for the defence sector and I am talking to all major defence companies,” he said.

Sarma said that apart from conventional industries, major investments are taking place in technologies of the future and he aims to make Assam a hub for manufacturing cutting-edge technology. “We are also considering ways to make Assam a hub for mobile phone assembly,” he added.

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Guwahati Lok Sabha election: BJP-Congress clash as women candidates lead charge, 68.10% voting registered

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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The prestigious Guwahati parliamentary constituency in the north-eastern state of Assam is yet again witnessing a major political battle between two powerful women candidates fielded by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress.

Guwahati, associated with the largest urban centre in the Northeast section, is among the four seats in Assam going to polls in the third phase of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections on May 7. Voting in the other 10 constituencies in the state was held in the first two phases on April 19 and April 26.

The voter turnout in Guwahati was at 68.10%.

The BJP has fielded Bijuli Kalita Medhi after dropping its sitting MP Queen Oja, while the Congress has nominated Mira Borthakur Goswami. She earlier served in the saffron party for several years but was expelled from it for ‘violating party norms’ in 2018. Since then, she has been one of the strongest critics of the BJP and is among the most visible leaders of the Congress, which she joined in 2021.

Both Goswami and Medhi are debutants, reports said.

However, this is not the first time this seat has witnessed a major contest between women candidates. Comprising 10 Assembly segments and having a total of more than 20.19 lakh electors as per the latest electoral roll, Guwahati saw BJP’s Queen Oja and Bobbeeta Sarma of the Congress pitted against each other in the 2019 elections. Back then, Oja comfortably defeated the Congress candidate by over 3.45 lakh votes.

This seat has more than 50% female voters and about 0.5% first-time voters (between 18 and 19 years of age).

Voting date

In Assam, polling for the 2024 general elections is being conducted in three phases. While 10 of the 14 parliamentary constituencies in the state voted in the first two phases on April 19 and 26, the remaining four constituencies, including Guwahati, will vote in the third phase on May 7. The counting of votes will be done on June 4.

During the 2019 elections, Guwahati saw a total voter turnout of 80.87%.

List of candidates

Eight candidates are in the fray for the Guwahati seat in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, however, the major contest is between the BJP and the Congress.

2019 results

Queen Oja of the BJP won the Guwahati seat in the 2019 elections and got 10,08,936 votes. She defeated Congress’ Bobbeeta Sharma, who could only manage 6,63,330 votes.

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Barpeta Lok Sabha elections: BJP-AGP alliance eyes maiden victory against Congress, CPI(M)

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Barpeta, one of the 14 parliamentary constituencies in Assam, is among the four seats in the state where voting for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections is being held in the third phase on May 7. Till 7 pm, the voter turnout at the constituency was at 76.42%.

In the 2024 general elections, Barpeta is witnessing a contest between Congress’ Deep Bayan, Manoranjan Talukdar, a sitting MLA of CPI(M) and Phani Bhushan Choudhury, who is an eight-time MLA and veteran leader of Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), a member of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance.

Since 1952, the BJP and AGP have never registered a win from this seat, which has majorly elected Congress or CPI(M), except for 2014 when Sirajuddin Ajmal, who is the brother of All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) chief Badruddin Ajmal, was elected to the Lower House of Parliament. However, the ‘demographic change’ brought in the constituency through the delimitation exercise has made the BJP and AGP confident about winning Barpeta for the first time.

Meanwhile, looking at the demographic change, the Congress has replaced its sitting MP Abdul Khaleque with Deep Bayan, who is a Hindu.

The Barpeta Lok Sabha constituency comprises 10 Assembly segments and reportedly has more than 19 lakh voters.

Voting date

Polling for the 2024 general elections in Assam is being conducted in three phases. Voting in 10 seats across the state was held in the first two phases on April 19 and 26, while the remaining four constituencies, including Barpeta, will vote in the third phase on May 7. The counting of votes will be done on June 4.

During the 2019 polls, Barpeta saw a total voter turnout of 86.57%.

List of candidates

In the 2024 elections, 14 candidates are in the fray for the Barpeta seat. Here’s a look at some of the prominent names contesting from this constituency:

2019 results

Congress’ Abdul Khaleque won the Barpeta seat in Assam during the 2019 elections, defeating the rival AGP candidate Kumar Deepak Das by over 1.40 lakh votes.

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Dhubri Lok Sabha election: 79.70% voter turnout till 5 pm as AIUDF’s Badruddin Ajmal eyes 4th term

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Silchar Lok Sabha Election: 65.57% voter turnout as BJP’s Suklabaidya fights INC’s Sarkar

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Silchar, one of the 14 parliamentary constituencies in Assam, is voting for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in the second phase today, i.e. on April 26. The seat comprises seven Assembly segments — Udharbond, Lakhipur, Katigorah, Barkhola, Silchar, Sonai and Dholai. The approximate voter turnout was 65.57%. In the 2019 general elections, the seat saw a voter turnout of 79.42%.

The highest polling of 72.99% was recorded in Darrang-Udalguri, 71.12% in Karimganj, 69.65% in Diphu (ST) and 71.88% in Nagaon.

In the past few general elections, the constituency has sent Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress candidates to the Lok Sabha.

Of the seven Assembly segments, four are presently with the BJP while two seats — Borkhola and Katigorah — are represented by the Congress. The remaining one seat (Sonai) belongs to the AIUDF.

The Silchar Lok Sabha seat was won by Dr Rajdeep Roy of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the 2019 elections. Roy defeated sitting Congress MP Sushmita Dev by over 81,000 votes. Dev later moved to the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC.

In the 2024 general elections, the constituency is witnessing a triangular contest between BJP’s Parimal Suklabaidya, who is an Assam minister and five-time MLA from Dholai constituency; Radheshyam Biswas, a former AIUDF MP from Karimganj, who is representing Trinamool Congress; and Congress’ Surya Kanta Sarkar.

Voting date

Polling for the 2024 polls in Assam is taking place in three phases. While five seats went for polls in the first phase on April 19, voting will take place on five others in the second phase on April 26. The remaining four constituencies will vote on May 7.

In Silchar, people will cast their vote on April 26. This time, the seat is reserved for the Scheduled Caste (SC) candidates.

List of candidates

In total, there are eight candidates contesting polls from the Silchar seat this time. Here is a complete list of all the candidates:

2019 results

In the 2019 elections, BJP’s Dr Rajdeep Roy received 4,99,414 votes and secured a 53% vote share. Roy defeated rival Congress candidate Sushmita Dev, who could only manage 4,17,818 votes.

Click here to follow Lok Sabha Elections 2024 Phase 2 Voting Live updates. 

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Nagaon Lok Sabha elections: Over 77% voter turnout recorded in second phase

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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The Nagaon Lok Sabha constituency is one of the largest constituencies in Assam. It has a population of 25,26,030 as per the 2011 census, with 83.83% living in rural areas and 16.17% in urban zones. The city boasts the state’s highest literacy rate and has 15,23,881 eligible voters, who will exercise their franchise in the next elections.

The voter turnout at 7 pm was 77.18%. In the 2019 general elections, the seat saw a total voter turnout of 83.22%.

The Nagaon constituency covers eight Assembly segments — Jagiroad (SC), Laharighat, Morigaon, Dhing, Rupahihat, Samaguri, Nagaon-Batadrava, and Raha (SC).

While historically a stronghold for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which secured victory for four consecutive terms from 1999 to 2014, recent elections saw a shift, with the Congress winning in 2019.

Voting date

Assam will go to polls in three phases and the Nagaon Lok Sabha seat will vote in the second phase on April 26. Votes will be counted on June 4.

List of candidates

The Nagaon Lok Sabha seat will see an intense battle between incumbent Pradyut Bordoloi from the Congress and BJP’s Suresh Borah.

2019 results

In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Pradyut Bordoloi of the Congress won the Nogaon Lok Sabha seat, defeating Rupak Sharma of the BJP by 16,752 votes.

Click here to follow Lok Sabha Elections 2024 Phase 2 Voting Live updates. 

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Bounce Infinity, BaaYu join forces to boost Assam’s EV sector

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Homegrown electric scooter company Bounce Infinity, on Tuesday, announced that it has formed a strategic partnership with BaaYu, an EV Bike-Taxi initiative by Bikozee Ecotech Pvt. Ltd. This collaboration, in association with Assam State Transport Corporation (ASTC), aims to expand the EV footprint in Assam.

Bounce Infinity, in a company statement, said that it has sold over 100 scooters to BaaYu’s fleet as part of this partnership. Additionally, the company will facilitate the establishment of a private, localised battery-swapping network exclusively for BaaYu.

Vivekananda H, CEO of Bounce Infinity, said, “Bounce Infinity is committed to addressing the growing transportation challenges faced by cities like Guwahati, particularly in light of their infrastructure development and growing workforce… Our partnership with BaaYu is a significant step towards this goal.”

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The Bengaluru-based EV company also introduced a first-of-its-kind service model designed to support fleet operators. According to the company, this service minimises downtime for maintenance, allowing businesses to operate smoothly.

Sumit Das, CEO of Bikozee Ecotech, while talking about the partnership, said, “By partnering with companies like Bounce Infinity, BaaYu is leading the sustainability drive in Assam. We aim to improve transportation and ensure commuter convenience by providing them with accessible and user-friendly transport options. These partnerships will also promote 5,000 livelihood opportunities for our driver-partners in Assam.”

The partnership is supported by NITI Aayog’s Shoonya Zero pollution mobility campaign. “BaaYu – Clean Air Movement”, a PPP venture by Bikozee Ecotech and Assam State Transport Corporation, aims to improve the air quality and public health of the state by deploying Electric vehicles in the transport and logistics sectors.

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Dibrugarh Lok Sabha Election: Assam ex-CM Sarbananda Sonowal to lock horns with AJP’s Lurinjyoti Gogoi

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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The Dibrugarh parliamentary constituency is among the 14 Lok Sabha seats in Assam. The seat covers nine assembly segments — Moran, Dibrugarh, Lahowal, Duliajan, Tingkhong, Naharkatia, Tinsukia, Digboi and Margherita. In the last elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress have been the main contenders in this constituency. However, the Congress has not fielded any candidate this time.

Voting date

According to the Election Commission of India, Assam will cast its votes in three phases. The Dibrugarh Lok Sabha seat is set to go to polls in the first phase on April 19. The counting of votes will be held on June 4.

List of candidates

The Dibrugarh parliamentary constituency will see BJP stalwart and former chief minister of Assam Sarbananda Sonowal battle it out against Lurinjyoti Gogoi from the Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP). The BJP has replaced sitting MP Rameshwar Teli to pick Sonowal. Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate Manoj Dhanowar is also in the fray.

2019 results

In the 2019 Lok Sabha Elections, Rameswar Teli of the BJP won by a margin of 364,566 votes, defeating INC candidate, Paban Singh Ghatowar. Teli had also won in the 2014 elections, receiving 55.48% of the overall votes.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Lok Sabha elections 2024: 15 ‘crorepati’ candidates, most from BJP, in the fray for 5 seats in Assam

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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As many as 15 of the 35 candidates in the fray for the five parliamentary constituencies in Assam going to polls in the first phase on Friday, April 19, have assets worth more than ₹1 crore, according to their election affidavits.

Jorhat, Kaziranga, Dibrugarh, Sonitpur and Lakhimpur are among the five seats in Assam where voting for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections will be held in the first phase.

The richest among the 35 candidates in the fray is Diluwara Begum Chowdhury, an Independent woman candidate from the Kaziranga seat. Chowdhury owns fuel stations and has total assets of more than ₹17.58 crore. These include movable assets of ₹4.65 crore and ₹12.92 crore as immovable assets, PTI reported.

As per the election affidavits, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has the most number of ‘crorepati’ candidates (5), followed by three of Congress, two of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and one each of the TMC and Bharatiya Gana Parishad (BGP). Besides them, three independents also have assets over ₹1 crore.

The average assets of AAP candidates are the highest at ₹6 crore. They are followed by the BJP candidates at over ₹4 crore, while the average assets of Congress candidates is ₹3 crore and the TMC and the BGP at ₹1 crore each.

AAP

After Diluwara Begum Chowdhury, AAP’s Manoj Dhanowar, who is contesting polls from Dibrugarh, is the second richest candidate, having total assets worth over ₹9.32 crore. Dhanowar has ₹2.85 crore as movable assets and ₹6.46 crore as immovable assets.

Another AAP leader Rishiraj Kaundinya, who is fielded from Sonitpur, is in the eighth position on the list. He has assets worth ₹2.91 crore, which includes ₹1.34 as movable and ₹1.56 crore as immovable assets.

BJP

Ranjit Dutta, an MLA and candidate from the Sonitpur Lok Sabha seat, is the richest among the BJP candidates, having total assets of ₹8.97 crore. Dutta has ₹5.52 crore worth of movable assets and ₹3.45 crore immovable assets.

Former Assam Chief Minister and Union Minister for Shipping and Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal, is the second richest BJP candidate. Contesting the 2024 elections from the Dibrugarh seat, Sonowal has total assets worth over ₹4.75 crore. This includes movable assets of ₹1.64 crore and ₹3.11 crore as immovable assets.

Sonowal is followed in the list by the saffron party’s Jorhat sitting MP Topon Gogoi, who has ₹3.22 crore of total assets, including ₹3 crore as movable and ₹22.50 lakh in immovable assets.

Another BJP leader on the list is Lakhimpur sitting MP Pradan Baruah. Eyeing another term from this seat, Baruah has total assets of ₹2.42 crore of which ₹1.05 crore is movable and ₹1.36 crore immovable.

Standing at the 12th position on the list is Rajya Sabha MP Kamakhya Prasad Tasa. He is contesting the elections from Kaziranga seat and has assets worth ₹2 crore, out of which ₹1.45 crore are movable ₹55 lakh as immovable assets.

Congress

The richest among the Congress candidates is Uday Shankar Hazarika, who is in the fray from the Lakhimpur seat. He has total assets worth ₹6.82 crore, comprising ₹3.39 crore as movable assets and ₹3.42 crore as immovable assets.

Next to him is the grand old party’s Jorhat Lok Sabha candidate Gaurav Gogoi, who has net assets worth ₹4.90 crore. These include ₹2.65 crore as movable and ₹2.25 crore as immovable assets.

Premlal Ganju, who is fielded from Sonitpur seat, also makes it to the list of ‘crorepati’ candidates, having total assets worth ₹1.10 crore, which includes ₹26.62 lakh as movable and ₹83.50 lakh as immovable assets.

Others

Pradip Bhandari from Sonitpur and Abdul Hoque from Kaziranga are two Independent candidates who have declared their total assets over ₹2 crore.

TMC’s Ghana Kanta Chutia and Bharatiya Gana Parishad’s Sailen Chandra Malakar also have assets of ₹1 crore and more. Both of them are contesting for the Kaziranga seat.

Among the ones having the least declared asset is SUCI(C)’s Pallab Pegu. Contesting from Lakhimpur, Pegu has declared assets worth ₹38,169.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Jorhat Lok Sabha election 2024: Gaurav Gogoi, son of ex-CM Tarun Gogoi, to contest against BJP’s Topon Gogoi

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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The Jorhat Lok Sabha constituency is one of the 14 parliamentary seats in Assam. The seat covers the Jorhat, Sonari, Mahmora, Demow, Sibsagar, Nazira, Majuli (ST), Teok, Mariani, and Titabor districts. Over the years, voter engagement has increased significantly, with turnout rising from 64.58% in 2009 to 78.32% in 2014.

It has 84.08% of its population living in rural areas, as per the 2011 census.

Once a Congress stronghold, Jorhat voted for Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s Topon Kumar Gogoi winning in 2019.

Voting date

According to the Election Commission of India, Assam will go to polls in three phases. The Jorhat Lok Sabha seat will go to polls in the first phase on April 19. The votes will be counted on June 4.

List of candidates

The Jorhat Lok Sabha seat will see a tough battle between two prominent figures from the Ahom community – BJP’s incumbent MP, Topon Kumar Gogoi, and Congress candidate Gaurav Gogoi, whose father previously held the seat twice, in 1971 and 1977.

Topon Kumar Gogoi (BJP)

Topon Kumar Gogoi is currently the sitting MP of Jorhat. He was previously the Minister of State for Power in the Assam Government after being elected to the Assam Legislative Assembly in 2016 from Sonari.

Gaurav Gogoi (Congress)

Gaurav Gogoi, the Congress deputy leader in the Lok Sabha, is also contesting from the Jorhat seat against Topon Gogoi. Gaurav Gogoi, a two-time MP, is the son of former Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi and a close aide of Rahul Gandhi.

With Ahom voters comprising 32.25% of the electorate, both candidates are vying for their support to secure success in the polls.

2019 results

In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the Jorhat constituency had 1,365,035 voters. BJP’s Topon Kumar Gogoi won with 543,288 votes, securing the seat and defeating Congress candidate Sushanta Borgohain by a margin of 82,653 votes.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow