Assam: Three sitting MPs among 83 aspirants eyeing Congress tickets for upcoming Lok Sabha elections

A total of 83 Congress members in Assam, including the three sitting MPs in the state, have officially thrown their hats into the ring, seeking party tickets for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections slated for next year. The APCC released a statement confirming the extensive interest in the candidature.

Nagaon MP Pradyut Bordoloi, expressing his desire for re-election, has submitted his application for the same constituency. Meanwhile, Barpeta MP Abdul Khaleque has filed his papers without specifying a particular seat, leaving room for speculation. Kaliabor MP Gaurav Gogoi, having lost his constituency in the recent delimitation exercise, aims for a comeback and has submitted applications for Nagaon, Kaziranga, and Jorhat seats.

Rakibul Hussain, the deputy leader of the opposition in the state Assembly and an erstwhile state cabinet minister, has also entered the fray by filing his application for the Nagaon constituency. Hussain currently serves as the MLA from Samaguri, a constituency falling under Nagaon.

The application process, which began on December 11, witnessed a total of 83 members seeking party tickets. Notably, more than 10 of the aspirants are women, reflecting a diverse interest in political representation.

Dhubri emerges as the constituency with the highest number of aspirants, boasting 13 candidates, while Kokrajhar registers the lowest with only two aspirants. The applications are distributed across various constituencies, with 11 for Karimganj, seven each for Barpeta, Darrang Udalguri, and Sonitpur, and six for Silchar. Additionally, there are five aspirants for Diphu, Lakhimpur, and Jorhat; four each for Guwahati and Nagaon; three each for Kaziranga and Dibrugarh.

The APCC had initiated the application process with a fee of Rs one lakh per application, originally scheduled to end on December 19. However, the deadline was extended and officially concluded on Friday. One ticket aspirant for the Guwahati seat failed to submit the required fees, as per the list shared by the Congress.

Earlier this month, the APCC had hinted at a strategic move, indicating a possible refrain from fielding candidates in certain constituencies. The party is part of a 15-party opposition forum in the state, known as the United Opposition Forum Assam (UOFA), gearing up to contest the 2024 Lok Sabha polls collectively. The APCC had assured that fees of aspirants for such constituencies would be refunded.