An Independent contender from the Diphu (ST) constituency has stepped back from the electoral race, leaving a total of 61 candidates vying for victory in the second phase of the Lok Sabha polls in Assam.
Scheduled for April 26, this phase will see five constituencies in contention. Independent candidate Bikram Hanse’s withdrawal has narrowed the competition for the Diphu seat. The four hopefuls are Joyram Engleng of Congress, Jotson Bey of the Autonomous State Demand Committee, BJP’s Amarsing Tisso and an Independent.
A total of 65 candidates had filed their nominations for the Karimganj, Silchar (SC), Diphu (ST), Nagaon, and Darrang-Udalguri constituencies, at the beginning. During review, three were rejected.
In Nagaon, sitting Congress MP Prodyut Bordoloi, BJP’s Suresh Bora, and AIUDF’s Aminul Islam are among the 13 contestants.
In Karimganj, sitting BJP MP Kripanath Malla, Hafez Rashid Choudhury of Congress, and AIUDF’s Sahibul Alam Choudhury are prominent among 24 candidates.
There are 11 candidates vying for the seat, including sitting BJP MP Dilip Saikia, Congress candidate Madhab Rajbongshi, and Bodo People’s Front’s Durga Das Boro in Darrang-Udalguri.
Silchar constituency has eight candidates in the fray, with notable contenders being Assam minister Parimal Suklabaidya of BJP, Surya Kanta Sarkar of Congress, and Radheyshyam Biswa of Trinamool Congress.
In the first phase of polls on April 19, at least 35 candidates are contesting for the Kaziranga, Jorhat, Dibrugarh, Sonitpur, and Lakhimpur constituencies.
In the outgoing Lok Sabha, BJP held nine seats, Congress three, and AIUDF and an Independent candidate held one seat each.
