Fourth visit in four months: Modi's Rs 47,600 crore bonanza ahead of Assam polls

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Assam on Friday for a packed two-day visit, his fourth in as many months , dedicating and laying foundation stones for projects worth Rs 47,600 crore across the state, in what is widely seen as a sweeping pre-election push ahead of assembly polls expected in April . The visit is part of a broader two-day tour that also includes Kolkata, with Modi stating on social media, "I will be in Assam and West Bengal over the next two days to attend programmes in Kokrajhar, Guwahati, Silchar and Kolkata, various development works will also be inaugurated."

The PM's first stop was Kokrajhar, where he unveiled projects worth over Rs 4,570 crore . He performed the Bhoomi Poojan for Assam Mala 3.0 , a road infrastructure programme under which over 900 km of new roads will be constructed to strengthen inter-state and rural connectivity. He also laid foundation stones for four flyovers and two bridges in the Bodoland Territorial Council area at an investment of Rs 1,100 crore, and a Periodic Overhauling Workshop at Bashbari in Kokrajhar district to strengthen railway maintenance. Modi also flagged off three new trains, the Kamakhya-Charlapalli Amrit Bharat Express, the Guwahati-New Jalpaiguri Express, and the Narangi-Agartala Express.

Travelling to Guwahati, the PM launched projects worth Rs 19,680 crore . He released the 22nd instalment of PM-KISAN , benefiting over 9.3 crore farmers nationwide, and distributed land pattas to tea garden workers , securing historic homestead rights for one of Assam's most marginalised communities. He unveiled the Rs 2,300-crore Kopili Hydro-Electric Project in Dima Hasao and West Karbi Anglong districts, and inaugurated the Numaligarh-Siliguri Product Pipeline capacity enhancement, enabling the Numaligarh Refinery to expand from 3 MMTPA to 9 MMTPA . Phase I of the North East Gas Grid , connecting Guwahati with Numaligarh, Gohpur, Itanagar, and Dimapur, was also inaugurated, along with the foundation stone for Numaligarh Refinery's rail-fed POL terminal at Panchgram in Hailakandi district.

On railways, Modi dedicated electrification of the Rangiya-Murkongselek (558 km), Chaparmukh-Dibrugarh (571 km), Badarpur-Silchar, and Badarpur-Churaibari lines, and laid the foundation stone for the Furkating-Tinsukia doubling project worth Rs 3,600 crore. In waterways, he laid foundation stones for cruise terminals at Bishwanath Ghat and Neamati, inaugurated the Pandu Jetty-NH-27 approach road, and performed the Bhoomi Poojan for the Bogibeel Regional Centre of Excellence , envisioned as a maritime training and research hub for the Northeast . He also laid the foundation stone for the Kamakhya Station to Kamakhya Temple ropeway with a daily capacity of 17,000 passengers, and inaugurated the PM Ekta Mall showcasing ODOP items, GI-tagged products, and Northeast handicrafts.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said preparations were completed with great enthusiasm, adding, "Projects worth over Rs 47,600 crore will be dedicated to our people over the next 48 hours." Modi overnights in Guwahati before heading to Silchar on Saturday to launch further projects worth Rs 23,550 crore , as the BJP eyes a historic third consecutive term in power.