Silchar, Oct 19: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, on Monday, combined festive outreach with a political message during his Mahashtami visit to Silchar, fulfilling a campaign promise to visit Durga Puja pandals and thanking voters for the BJP’s performance in the Silchar Municipal Corporation elections.
Sarma arrived in the Barak Valley town on Monday morning and visited several prominent puja venues, including Mitali Sangha, Bilpar Durga Bari and Ramakrishna Mission Sevashrama.
He interacted with puja organisers, exchanged festive greetings and met monks at the Sevashrama.
“I wish the people a blessed Durga Puja. I will visit eight to nine puja pandals today, and I thank the people of Silchar on this auspicious occasion,” he told the press.
The visit came weeks after the October 3 civic polls, during which Sarma had promised to join Silchar’s Durga Puja celebrations.
His return to the town also provided an opportunity to acknowledge the BJP’s electoral gains and engage with local party workers and community organisations.
At Kachakanti Mandir in Udharbondh, the Chief Minister thanked the people of Silchar for supporting the BJP in the municipal corporation elections.
The BJP’s performance in the civic polls has positioned the party to lead the corporation’s new administration, lending a political dimension to Sarma’s festival engagements.
Later in the day, Sarma visited the residence of Rajya Sabha MP Sushmita Dev to enquire about the health of her mother, former Silchar MLA Bithika Dev, who has been unwell.
He exchanged greetings with the former legislator and wished her a speedy recovery.
The visit added a personal dimension to the Chief Minister’s engagements in Silchar. Bithika Dev is a former Congress legislator, while her daughter, Sushmita Dev, recently joined the BJP and is a Rajya Sabha MP from West Bengal.
Silchar MLA Dr Rajdeep Roy, Udharbond MLA Rajdeep Goala and other legislators and BJP leaders accompanied the Chief Minister during his engagements.