Rahul, Kharge pay tributes to soldiers killed in Pulwama terror attack
New Delhi (PTI): Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and party leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday paid tributes to CRPF personnel who died in the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama in 2019 and said their courage and devotion to the nation will always be remembered.
"My heartfelt tributes to our brave soldiers who were martyred in the daring terrorist attack in Pulwama in 2019. The nation will forever remain indebted to them for their supreme sacrifice in the defence of Mother India," Gandhi said in a post on X.
A suicide bomber crashed his explosive-laden vehicle into a bus ferrying Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel on February 14, 2019, killing 40 jawans.
Days later, India launched a retaliatory attack, which came to be known as the Balakot airstrike.
Kharge said the soldiers' indomitable courage and unflinching devotion to the nation will forever be etched in our collective memory
"We pay our deepest homage to the brave martyrs of Bharat Mata, who laid down their lives in Pulwama," the Congress chief posted on X.
Congress general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal said the day is a reminder of the sacrifice that soldiers and their families make for the country’s safety.
"We reiterate our pledge that we will never let their sacrifice go in vain, and will always strive to eliminate the forces of terror that took their lives," he said in a post on X.
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also paid tributes to soldiers who were killed in the attack.
"We shall forever remain indebted to our martyrs and their families. The courage, dedication, service and martyrdom of our valiant soldiers are exemplary for all of us," Vadra said in a post in Hindi on X.
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Voting begins for Assam's 126 assembly seats
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Guwahati (PTI): Polling for all 126 Assam assembly constituencies began on Thursday to decide the electoral fate of 722 candidates, officials said.
In the high-stakes election, the ruling BJP is aiming for a third consecutive term in office, while the Congress seeks to wrest power after being ousted in 2016.
Polling, being held in a single phase, began at 7 am and will conclude at 5 pm. Long queues of voters were seen outside polling stations from early morning.
An electorate of 2.50 crore, including 1.25 crore women and 318 from the third gender, can exercise their franchise in 31,490 polling stations across the state.
Prominent candidates include Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Congress state president Gaurav Gogoi, assembly Speaker Biswajit Daimary, Leader of the opposition Debabrata Saikia, AIUDF chief Badruddin Ajmal, Raijor Dal president Akhil Gogoi, and Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) chief Lurinjyoti Gogoi.
Several cabinet ministers, including the AGP’s Atul Bora and Keshav Mahanta, and the BPF’s Charan Boro are also in the fray.
The Congress has the highest of 99 contestants, followed by the BJP (90), AIUDF (30), NDA allies AGP (26) and BPF (11).
Opposition alliance’s Raijor Dal is contesting in 13, AJP in 10, CPI(M) in 3 and APHLC in 2. Outside the two coalitions, the AAP is contesting in 18 seats, UPPL in 18, TMC 22, JMM 16 and there are 258 independents.
The ruling NDA’s main constituents are the BJP, Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and the Bodo Peoples’ Front (BPF) while the opposition alliance comprises the Congress, Raijor Dal, Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP), CPI(M), All Party Hill Leaders Conference (APHLC) and CPI(ML).
The counting of votes is scheduled on May 4.
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