Guwahati, Oct 25: Altogether 24 candidates filed their nomination papers for contesting the by-polls to five Assam Assembly constituencies on Friday.
Three candidates filed nomination papers for Dholai LAC, one for Sidli LAC, five for Bongaigaon LAC, 12 for Samaguri LAC while three candidates filed their nominations for Behali Assembly constituency.
With these nominations, the total number of candidates who have filed nominations in the Assam bypolls is 38.
It may be mentioned Friday marked the last day for the submission of nominations for the bypolls in the state.
Meanwhile, former BJP leader Jayanta Borah, who was inducted in the Congress after he was given a ticket to contest the by-poll in Behali as a Congress candidate, filed his nomination papers on Friday. Borah was accompanied by Lok Sabha MP and Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi and Assam Congress leaders.
Notably, Borah was chosen as a candidate by the Congress amidst high drama within the Asom Sanmilito Morcha, the 16-party Opposition alliance in Assam. The move had opened wide cracks within the alliance, starting with the resignation of the Morcha’s president Bhupen Borah after the AICC did not accept the candidate from Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist), and instead opted for a candidate with ‘winnability’ criteria.
Opposition alliance partner CPI-ML has, in the meantime, fielded candidate Lakhikanta Kurmi for the Behali by-poll. Kurmi filed his nominations on Friday. He was accompanied by several leaders of the Opposition alliance
On the other hand, NDA-supported candidate Deeptimoyee Choudhury, wife of former eight-time MLA from AGP and currently MP from Barpeta, Phani Bhushan Choudhury, submitted her nomination papers for Bongaigaon LAC at Bongaigaon on Friday.
She was accompanied by ministers Ranjit Kumar Dass and Atul Bora among others.
“We are always indebted to the people of Bongaigaon for their trust and support to the AGP. With the blessings of the people, in this upcoming bye-election, Deeptimoyee Choudhury will win the seat by a huge margin of votes,” AGP president Atul Bora said.
Bora also thanked the AGP-BJP-UPPL alliance workers and well-wishers who joined the public rally on Friday for Choudhury’s nomination, braving the relentless rain.