Himanta, Dass among key candidates in the fray for tomorrow’s polling

GUWAHATI: Assam ministers Himanta Biswa Sarma, Chandra Mohan Patowary, Siddhartha Bhattacharya and state party president Ranjeet Kumar Dass will be among Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) bigwigs who will contest in the third phase of polling for the Assam assembly election tomorrow.

Sarma is contesting from Jalukabari, Patowary from Dharmapur, Bhattacharya from Gauhati East and Dass from Patacharkuchi assembly constituency.

While Sarma has been invincible in Jalukbari constituency since 2001, sources in the ruling BJP-led alliance said Patowary and Dass might face some tough challenges in their respective constituencies.

On the other hand, Dass is contesting from Patacharkuchi for the first time. In the previous election, he won from Sarbhog constituency.

Other key candidates whose fates will also be sealed include Asom Gana Parishad’s (AGP) Phani Bhushan Choudhury from Bongaigaon, Bodoland Peoples’ Front’s (BPF) Pramila Rani Brahma from Kokrajhar East, Chandan Brahma of BPF from Sidli, Rekibuddin Ahmed of Congress from Chhaygaon, Dulu Ahmed of Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) from Hajo, Kalpana Patowari from Sarukhetri and Kokrajhar MP Naba Kr Sarania from Barama.

Pramila Rani Brahma has won from Kokrajhar East constituency over the past six terms in a row.

Sitting Congress MLA Rekibuddin Ahmed is contesting against AGP's Kamala Kanta Kalita, who had won the seat four times in the past. Ahmed has won the seat in the last two consecutive elections.

Folk singer Patowary will contest from Sarukhetri constituency on an AGP ticket. She is pitched against sitting MLA Jakir Hussain Sikdar of Congress.

Chandan Brahma will contest against United People’s Party-Liberal’s (UPPL) Jayanta Basumatary.

In the 2011 state assembly election, Brahma won from Sidli constituency defeating independent candidate Maoti Brahma Hazowary by a margin of 36,881 votes. He again won from the constituency in 2016 assembly polls beating another independent candidate Rwngwra Narzary by a margin of 8,988 votes.

Moreover, fate of 20 sitting MLAs will also be decided in the final phase.

40 seats, spread across 16 administrative districts of Lower Assam and the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR) are going to polls in the third and final phase of the Assam assembly elections tomorrow.

Also Read: Bodo Council chief reacts to ‘police crackdown’ on Pramila’s house; here’s what he said

A total of 337 candidates, including 25 women, are in the fray. Voting will start at 7 am and will conclude at 6 pm.

Counting of votes will take place on May 2 along with the rest of the four states going to polls.

Follow us on Facebook