Guwahati: Strong reactions have emerged after BJP candidate Vijay Gupta allegedly conducted election campaigning inside Rupnagar Vidyapith M.E. School, located in the Central Guwahati constituency. It is reported that the candidate entered a classroom with banners carrying the BJP symbol and appealed to teachers and parents to vote for him (Vijay Gupta School Campaign Controversy).
Following the controversy, the Election Commission issued a show-cause notice to the school headmaster seeking an explanation over the incident.
AASU’s Reaction
The president of the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU), Utpal Sharma, strongly criticized the incident. He stated:
“Using a government school as a venue for election campaigning is extremely unethical and utterly condemnable. Today, inside the classroom of Rupnagar Vidyapith M.E. School, party banners and flags were displayed while BJP candidate Vijay Gupta carried out campaign activities. I strongly condemn this unethical and disgraceful act, which goes directly against the interests of students. If government schools become centers of such disgraceful and non-academic activities, students and parents will gradually lose confidence in them. This will have a deeply adverse impact on the public education system.”
He further added sarcastically that although Vijay Gupta claims to be an indigenous ‘Akhomiya’ (!), it is unclear whether any members of his own family study in government or Assamese-medium schools. According to Sharma, this action clearly proves that Gupta bears no sense of responsibility toward the academic future of students.
He also warned political leaders not to use these temples of knowledge — where future generations are shaped — for electoral gain, and urged the Election Commission to stop turning a blind eye and instead remain alert, active, and firmly responsive to such issues.
Reaction from Senior Journalist Manoj Kumar Goswami
Senior journalist Manoj Kumar Goswami also expressed serious concern over the incident. In a social media post, he wrote:
“The BJP candidate from Central Guwahati, Vijay Gupta, is personally known to me and is a good person. But what I witnessed today was deeply disappointing. Vijay Gupta and his team entered a school and solicited votes from teachers right in front of the students. Conducting election campaigning inside a school in this manner is a highly disgraceful act. The condition of Assamese-medium schools is already not good.
You may contest elections, campaign, and even win — we have no objection to any of that. But such conduct inside school premises cannot be accepted. Even Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had previously instructed that no political activities of any kind should take place within school campuses. I believe the administration and the Election Commission must act strictly in such matters. Student organisations like AASU should also raise their voices and actively prevent those who conduct election campaigning inside school premises.”
EC Acts, Show-Causes Headmaster
Following the controversy, the Election Commission has taken note of the incident and issued a show-cause notice to the headmaster of Rupnagar Vidyapith M.E. School, seeking an explanation regarding how election-related activities were allowed within the school premises.