Assam BJP gears up for bypolls, finalises shortlist of candidates in 3 seats

Bhabesh Kalita said the committee finalised the list of likely candidates for the Behali, Dhalai and Samaguri seats

Updated on: Oct 14, 2024, 12:59:49 IST

By Utpal Parashar

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GUWAHATI: The Assam unit of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party has shortlisted possible candidates for the three assembly seats where by-elections are due to be held, state unit chief Bhabesh Kalita said on Monday.

In a post on X, the Assam BJP on Sunday said discussions were held regarding the upcoming by-election in the state at the meeting. (X/BJP4Assam)

Kalita said the state BJP’s election committee comprising chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, union minister Sarbananda Sonowal, party in-charge Harish Dwivedi and state organisational general secretary GR Ravindra Raju among others met in Guwahati on Sunday.

“We had detailed discussions on the by-election and finalised the list of likely candidates for the Behali, Dhalai and Samaguri seats. Three names of probable candidates from each of these seats have been forwarded to the party’s parliamentary board which will take a final call on the candidates who will get the tickets,” BJP’s Assam president Bhabesh Kalita said.

Kalita added that the parliamentary board is expected to announce the names of candidates within the next few days.

BJP won’t be putting up candidates in the Sidli and Bongaigaon seats, which will be contested by its ruling partners, United Peoples Party Liberal (UPPL) and Asom Gana Parishad (AGP).

“In 2021, the Sidli seat was won by UPPL while AGP bagged the Bongaigaon seat. We contested the previous assembly polls together and this time too BJP will support its coalition partners in those two seats,” said Kalita.

Five assembly seats in Assam fell vacant this year following the Lok Sabha polls as two MLAs from the ruling BJP (including a cabinet minister), one each from alliance partners Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and United Peoples Party Liberal (UPPL) and one from opposition Congress won the Lok Sabha general elections.

In the Lok Sabha polls, two BJP MLAs, Parimal Suklabaidya, a cabinet minister who represented the Dhalai assembly segment and Ranjit Dutta from Behali, won from the Cachar and Tezpur Lok Sabha seats.

Veteran AGP leader Phani Bhushan Choudhury, who has continuously represented the Bongaigaon assembly seat since 1985, won the Barpeta Lok Sabha seat and UPPL’s Joyanta Basumatary, who was the Sidli MLA, won the Kokrajhar seat.

The Dhubri Lok Sabha seat was won by a record margin by Congress’s Rakibul Hussain, a five-time legislator from Samaguri.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Utpal Parashar
A seasoned senior journalist, I have nearly three decades of experience across print, digital, and online platforms, covering political transitions, insurgencies, environmental issues, and development stories in India and Nepal. I am skilled in breaking news, leading editorial teams and launch of newspaper editions. I am adept at leveraging digital trends and social media to expand global reach, with a strong ethical foundation and a reputation for impactful journalism. An alumnus of Asian College of Journalism, I joined Hindustan Times in New Delhi as a trainee reporter in May 1997. Over the years, I have been posted in Dehradun, Kathmandu (Nepal) and Guwahati. Currently, as Senior Assistant Editor at Hindustan Times, I lead a team reporting on India’s northeastern states. My work involves in-depth analysis, and engaging multimedia storytelling across formats, including text, photo, video, and interactive content. I am skilled in producing timely, shareable content, leveraging digital platforms and social media to engage global audiences. Throughout my career with the Hindustan Times, I have led diverse editorial teams, designed capacity-building activities, and supported reporters in developing strong story ideas, ethical reporting practices, digital skills, and fact-checking techniques. As Senior Assistant Editor for Northeast India, I have been responsible for guiding correspondents through complex political, humanitarian, and community-level stories using multimedia formats. Earlier, as Foreign Correspondent in Nepal, I produced extensive reporting during Nepal’s democratic transition and the 2015 earthquake and its aftermath.Read More

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