Guwahati, Mar 16 (PTI) The implementation of the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (CAA), paving the way for granting citizenship to undocumented non-Muslim migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, will be a major poll issue for both the ruling and the opposition parties in Assam.

The polls will be held in the state in three phases on April 19, 26 and May 7.

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The following are the key issues in the state elections.

1. Citizenship: The ruling BJP will focus on delivering the promise of granting citizenship to Hindu Bengali migrants from Bangladesh who came before the cut-off date of December 31, 2014, while the opposition parties will highlight the violation of the Assam Accord, signed in 1985 to end the six-years agitation against foreigners, which had the provision for "detection and deportation" of all persons who entered the state from Bangladesh post-March 24, 1971.

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2. Insurgency: BJP will also focus on ending insurgency in the state by bringing the ULFA (Pro-talk) faction along with all Bodo, Karbi, Dimasa and Adivasi militant outfits to the talks table and offering them a rehabilitation package. The opposition, however, will point out that talks with this faction have no meaning as it was already overground since 2009 while the ULFA (Independent), led by Paresh Barua, was yet to come for talks and was still firm on the outfit's stand of sovereignty.

3. Child Marriage: The crackdown against child marriage in the state will also be an important issue that will find a place during the campaign trail with the BJP claiming that they have taken the step to end the social menace while the opposition will accuse the ruling party of targeting the Muslim community, in particular.

4. Unified Civil Code: The UCC, which the state government wants to bring in by repealing the Assam Muslim Marriages and Divorces Registration Act, 1935 and a law to make ban on polygamy effective will also be raised with the opposition parties, particularly the Congress and the AIUDF alleging that it is discriminatory against the Muslims and has been done to polarise the voters in an election year.

5. BJP's Hindutva agenda will come under flak from the opposition, particularly in the minority-dominated constituencies like Dhubri, Karimganj, and Nagaon along with several pockets in the others.

6. Infrastructural Development: The BJP will highlight the infrastructural development across the state during the last ten years enhancing road, rail, air and internet connectivity.

7. Wooing women voters: The BJP has been concentrating on women voters, who constitute nearly 50 per cent of the total electorate, for the past few years with Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma assuming charge in 2021 waiving their micro-credit loans, introducing various schemes like Orunodoi and 'Lakhpati baideos'. The opposition parties are also likely to offer various sops to the women electorate.

8. Tea garden electorate: The BJP will highlight the various initiatives taken up for the development of tea garden workers which include model schools in the garden areas, providing banking facilities to them during COVID, health facilities among others. The opposition will also go all out to woo this segment of the electorate which has considerable sway in the Upper Assam constituencies of Dibrugarh, Jorhat and Kaziranga along with Sonipur in the North Bank.

9. Industrial development: The recent foundation stone laying of the Rs 27,000 crore semiconductor assembly and test facility in Assam's Morigaon district by the Prime Minister and the announcement of the new policy of Uttar Poorva Transformative Industrialization Scheme (UNNATI), 2024 for the North East will definitely be highlighted by the BJP whereas the opposition will focus on how several industries in the state are facing closure and their employees have been deprived of their dues.

10. Employment: The BJP may focus on the steps taken to provide employment to the youth while the opposition will most likely accuse the ruling party of not doing enough to provide jobs to the educated youth.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)