Guwahati: Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s campaign for Oct 6 Nagaon Lok Sabha bypoll on Saturday drew attention after he himself shared a video on X of a woman from the crowd kissing him on the cheek during one of his public interactions.Sarma wrote, “Came for the rally, left with a story that will haunt me as memes,” in an apparent indication that the clip is likely to be turned into internet memes by social media users.This isn’t the first time such an interaction has happened to him. During the assembly election campaign earlier this year, a woman nearly climbed over a barricade and kissed him. The clip had also gone viral on social media.The moment came as Sarma stepped up his campaign for BJP-led NDA candidate Devashish Sharma in the bypoll, highlighting govt schemes targeting women and youth.The chief minister focused particularly on women-centric schemes such as Orunodoi, under which eligible beneficiaries receive Rs 1,250 per month, and the Mukhyamantri Mahila Udyamita Abhiyan (MMUA), which provides financial support for women-led entrepreneurial ventures.Sarma said the govt would continue and expand such initiatives and facilitate dedicated women’s markets to help women sell their products. He also spoke about promoting women-led dairy cooperatives and urged women to make use of govt schemes.The Nagaon Lok Sabha bypoll was necessitated after former Congress MP Pradyut Bordoloi vacated the seat and subsequently joined BJP before the assembly elections. Bordoloi later won the Dispur assembly seat and is now an MLA.
