Guwahati, April 1: As campaigning for the first phase of polling came to an end this evening, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh provided the finishing touches to the Congress’s bid to beat the anti-incumbency factor and return to power for the second term.

In an effort to bolster the party’s prospects, Singh pointed out that only “Congress governments at both the Centre and the state can provide the right atmosphere for the peace process (with Ulfa) to reach its logical conclusion”.

In his first appearance in the state’s poll campaign, Singh, who is a Rajya Sabha member from Assam, said: “Already, two rounds of discussions have been held with the Ulfa-constituted People’s Consultative Group and necessary steps will be taken to ensure that peace and security prevail for the overall development of the state.”

Singh’s two-day visit came after Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s whirlwind tour of the state on Thursday.

The Prime Minister addressed public rallies at Nalbari and Sualkuchi before returning to Guwahati. He will address a few rallies tomorrow, too.

Speaking at Nalbari, one of the worst militancy-hit areas in the state, he said: “The Congress was committed to bringing peace back to the state.”

On the Ulfa’s demand for discussions on sovereignty, Singh said: “We are all servants of the Constitution. We are ready to negotiate anything within the framework of the Indian Constitution.” He, however, added that all issues were open for discussion.

“I have said it more than once that you have a Prime Minister in New Delhi to look after the interests of Assam,” he told reporters after landing in Guwahati.

On illegal influx from Bangladesh, Singh said the government would show no mercy to the infiltrators. But, he added, no genuine citizen would be harassed while detecting illegal migrants.

Addressing a big election rally at Gandhi Maidan in the silk town of Sualkuchi, the Prime Minister said several schemes had been initiated by the government to solve the perennial problem of flood and erosion.