New Delhi: A day after Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Singh was released on a 20-day parole, the sect's headquarters issued a call for its followers to support the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The appeal was made discreetly during a satsang at the Dera's headquarters in Sirsa on Thursday night, urging the attendees to mobilize additional voters within their local communities.
According to sources, the message was not delivered publicly from the satsang stage as in previous instances. Instead, office-bearers positioned themselves among the attendees and conveyed the directive quietly, asking followers to vote for the BJP and bring at least five additional voters to the polling booths.
Singh, who is currently staying at his Baghpat ashram, reportedly sent the message through an office-bearer in Sirsa. The Dera has traditionally supported the BJP, particularly in Haryana, Punjab, and Rajasthan. However, following Rahim’s 2017 conviction for raping two of his disciples, the Dera had not openly endorsed any party in the 2019 Lok Sabha and assembly elections.
This parole release comes just after Singh’s recent 21-day parole, which ended on September 2. His multiple paroles over the past two years have often coincided with elections, drawing scrutiny over the timing of his releases. In 2023, Rahim received a 30-day parole that coincided with the Haryana panchayat elections, while in 2022, he was granted three paroles, one of which overlapped with the Punjab assembly elections.
The Dera’s support for the BJP is seen as a significant move, given its influence among Dalit communities in the region. In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the Dera openly backed the BJP, contributing to the party’s strong performance in Haryana.
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Guwahati (PTI): Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday resigned along with his cabinet colleagues, paving the way for formation of a new government led by the BJP, officials said.
The BJP-led NDA bagged 102 seats in the 126-member assembly. The assembly elections were held in a single phase on April 9, and counting of votes took place on May 4.
"Following the formal notification of the results of #AssamElections2026 and to enable the formation of the new government, Dr @himantabiswa tendered his resignation as Chief Minister along with that of the council of Ministers to Hon'ble Governor Shri @Laxmanacharya54 today at Lok Bhawan," the Chief Minister's Office said in a post on X.
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The Governor has accepted the resignation, and requested Sarma to continue as the caretaker CM till the new government assumes office, it said.
Later, speaking to reporters outside the Lok Bhawan, Sarma said the oath-taking ceremony is likely to take place after May 11.
“As it was a historic win, we have invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to grace the occasion," he said.
The new Assam chief minister will be selected at a meeting of the BJP legislature party in presence of central observers, Sarma said.
