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BJP, Congress announce candidates for Assam bypolls
Sonari, Ratabari, Rangapara and Jania go into bypolls on October 21st.
The BJP announced its candidates on Sunday for the bypoll to the four Assembly constituencies in Assam. The Congress has already announced its candidates while Badruddin Ajmal’s AIUDF said it will contest only one seat to stop division of “secular votes”.
The bypolls are scheduled to be held on October 21.
“We will win all the four seats,” said Rupam Goswami, spokesperson of the Assam unit of the BJP which shares power in the state with the Asom Gana Parishad and the Bodoland People’s Front.
For the Ratabari constituency in Karimganj which fell vacant after the resignation of Kripanath Mallah, Bijay Malakar will be the BJP’s candidate while the Congress has fielded Keshab Prakash Rajak.
In Sonari in Sivasagar district, the BJP has fielded Nabanita Handique while Sushil Suri will be Congress’ candidate.
The BJP announced Kartik Kurmi as its candidate from Rangapara constituency in Sonitpur after Pallab Lochan Das, its leader from the tea tribe community won the Tezpur Lok Sabha constituency.
In Jania constituency in Barpeta district, the Congress’ Shamsul Hoque will take on the AIUDF’s Rafiqul Islam while the BJP has fielded Towfiqur Rehman.
Bypolls have been necessitated as sitting MLA Abdul Khaleque won the Lok Sabha elections from Barpeta as the Congress candidate.
“We will try to retain Jania and better our vote share in other constituencies,” said Debabrata Saikia, the leader of the Congress’ Legislature Party in Assam.
Aminul Islam, the general secretary of the AIUDF, said the “party decided to field only one candidate and leave the other three constituencies to stop division of secular votes which would have favoured the BJP.”
Goswami claimed it as part of the alliance between the AIUDF and the Congress which he said was an “open secret” in Assam even during the Lok Sabha polls.
Islam and Saikia denied any understanding between the Congress and the AIUDF. Saikia said AIUDF had little support on the three seats it is not contesting.
