GUWAHATI: The state Congress, in a significant electoral pledge, has promised 200 units of free electricity to households in Assam if the party regains power in the 2026 Assembly polls.
Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) President, Bhupen Bora, while addressing a press in Tezpur on Sunday, said, “Congress Party will provide 200 units of free electricity, if return to power in 2026.”
Launching a scathing attack at the government, he alleged that the BJP government, during its tenure, had tripled electricity tariffs, which has led to significant hardships for the residents of Assam.
“Assam require 2600 MegaWatt (MW) electricity, however it continues to produce same 250 MW electricity as before; only visible progress in this government is in the land of a ‘particular family’,” read a statement issued by the party on Sunday.
Bora’s announcement comes as a direct response to the government’s ongoing and substantial electricity tariff increases. The Assam Power Distribution Company Ltd. (APDCL) has hiked power tariff in the state effective from last month.
The hike is attributed to Fuel and Power Purchase Price Adjustment (FPPPA) and varies from 30 paise per unit to Rs 1.29 per unit. Post-paid power consumers will be charged the increased tariff for September in October, while smart pre-paid consumers will see the applicable FPPPA distributed in 92 equal daily instalments from October 1 to December 31, 2023.
The APCC president also declared a series of protests throughout Assam beginning October 3. The protests will begin at the block level, followed by panchayat-level protests on October 4, and district headquarters protests on October 5.
During these demonstrations, copies of the latest tariff hike notices will be symbolically burned, highlighting the Congress party’s determination to provide 200 units of free electricity to every family in Assam should they regain power.
Bora also questioned the justifiability of recurrent tariff hikes in light of APDCL’s reported profit of Rs 33,635 crore in September 2022. He criticised the government for permitting APDCL to prioritise profit over public welfare through exorbitant tariff increases.
