Assam bypolls: Congress announces candidates for four seats

In Guwahati, the Congress unveiled its contenders for four Assembly seats in Assam slated for by-elections on November 13. Notably, the party has chosen not to nominate a candidate for the Behali Assembly constituency, suggesting a strategic move to make way for its ally CPI (M-L).

Five assembly constituencies — Dholai, Samaguri, Behali, Bongaigaon, and Sidli are gearing up for imminent by-elections after five legislators were elected to the lower house of parliament during this year’s Lok Sabha polls.

The party tickets for the constituencies have been allocated by Congress as follows: Dhrubajyoti Purakayastha in Dholai, Sanjib Warle in Sidli, Brajenjit Sinha in Bongaigaon, and Tanzil Hussain in Samaguri.

The Dholai parliamentary area has been designated for representation by the Scheduled Caste (SC) population, while the Sidli district is specifically allocated for the Scheduled Tribe (ST) community.

Since 2001, Rakibul Hussain, a prominent figure in the Congress party, has consistently secured victory in Samaguri, while the BJP-led alliance holds the remaining four seats.

In this year’s Lok Sabha elections, Tanzil Hussain, the son of Rakibul Hussain and a senior Congress leader, secured a victory in the Dhubri Lok Sabha constituency by defeating Badruddin Ajmal, the three-time AIUDF MP and party chief, with a substantial lead of over 10 lakh votes.

Rakibul Hussain’s trustworthiness was acknowledged by the Congress leadership, leading to his son being awarded a ticket in Samaguri.

Candidates for three constituencies, namely Dholai, Samaguri, and Behali, were previously declared by the BJP.

In Samaguri, Diplu Ranjan Sarma has secured the ticket, while in Behali and Dholai assembly segments, Diganta Ghatowar and Nihar Ranjan Das will be contesting for the BJP nominations, respectively.

In the recent political developments, Parimal Suklabaidya, a former cabinet minister of the BJP, emerged victorious in the Silchar Lok Sabha constituency, leaving his previous assembly seat in Dholai unoccupied. Concurrently, another prominent BJP figure, Ranjit Dutta, secured a seat in the parliament, having previously served as the representative of the Behali constituency in the state assembly.

BJP’s two partners, the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and the United People’s Party Liberal (UPPL), are set to participate in the elections in the Bongaigaon and Sidli Assembly constituencies, respectively.