Congress, AIUDF turncoats get BJP tickets for Assam by-elections

In August, Talukdar, the lone Hindu AIUDF lawmaker from Bhabanipur, quit the party and switched sides to the BJP, leaving AIUDF with 15 seats in Assam assembly

Published on: Oct 4, 2021, 16:11:06 IST

By Utpal Parashar

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An All-India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) and two Congress lawmakers, who resigned from the assembly to join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), have been allotted the ruling party’s tickets for October 30 by-elections in Assam. By-polls are being held for five seats. The BJP has left two seats for its alliance partner United Peoples Party Liberal (UPPL).

Former Congress MLAs Rupjyoti Kurmi and Sushanta Borgohain said they left the party because they were unhappy with its functioning. (Burhaan Kinu/HT PHOTO)

Arun Singh, a BJP national general secretary, said Phanidhar Talukdar will contest from Bhabanipur while Rupjyoti Kurmi and Sushanta Borgohain from Mariani and Thowra. Kurmi, an influential leader from the tea-tribe community who has won the Mariani seat four consecutive times since 2006, was the first lawmaker to quit Congress in June this year after the assembly polls. He joined the BJP the same month. Borgohain, a two-time lawmaker from Thowra quit the Congress and joined the BJP days later. The two said they were unhappy with Congress’s functioning and wanted to develop their constituencies by joining the ruling party. With their departure, Congress’s strength in the 126-member House came down to 27.

In August, Talukdar, the lone Hindu AIUDF lawmaker from Bhabanipur, quit the party and switched sides to the BJP. The move left AIUDF with 15 seats.

Also Read: Assam Congress suspends MLA arrested for provocative statements

UPPL has named Jiran Basumatary and Jolen Daimary as its candidates for by-polls from the Gossaigaon and Tamulpur seats. The seats fell vacant due to the deaths of Bodoland Peoples’ Front lawmaker Majendra Narzary (Gossaigaon) and UPPL’s Leho Ram Boro (Tamulpur).

The opposition parties are yet to finalise their candidates for the by-polls. The Congress is planning to contest four of the five seats and AIUDF two. The two parties, which were part of an alliance for the assembly polls, are contesting the by-elections separately.

October 8 is the last date for filing nominations for the by-elections.

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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