Campaigning for 1st phase of LS polls ends in Assam, 35 candidates in the fray

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaApril 17, 2024

Campaigning for the first phase of voting for five Lok Sabha seats of Assam ended at 5 pm on Wednesday.

The voting for the first phase in Dibrugarh, Jorhat, Kaziranga, Lakhimpur and Sonitpur will be conducted from 7 am of April 19.

A total of 86,68,239 electorate including 43,93,512 women voters will exercise their franchise in 10,001 polling booths in the first phase of voting.

Altogether 35 candidates, including two Rajya Sabha MPs, three Lok Sabha MPs and an MLA are contesting the poll. 

Among the prominent candidates, there are Union minister Sarbananda Sonowal, who is contesting from Dibrugarh, sitting Lok Sabha MP and late chief minister Tarun Gogoi’s son Gaurav Gogoi, who is contesting from Jorhat constituency.

During the first phase of the campaign, Prime Minister Narendra Modi led a 4-km long roadshow in Guwahati on Tuesday and addressed an election rally in Nalbari under Barpeta Lok Sabha constituency on Wednesday.

Union home minister Amit Shah also campaigned for the BJP in Lakhimpur and led a roadshow in Tinsukia under the Dibrugarh parliamentary constituency.

All India Congress Committee (AICC) president Priyanka Gandhi also led a 6-km roadshow in Titabar in support of Congress candidate Gaurav Gogoi in Jorhat on Tuesday.

Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) Bhupen Kumar Borah, leader of opposition in Assam Legislative Assembly Debabrata Saikia, AICC general secretary Jiten Singh also took part in the campaign for the Congress party in five constituencies.

For the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which is contesting for the first time in the two LS seats of Dibrugarh and Sonitpur, Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann and Delhi education minister Atishi campaigned and led roadshows in both seats.

Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma led the BJP campaign in these five constituencies highlighting the party’s achievements during its last ten years of rule at the Centre.

In the last-minute campaign, AJP candidate from Dibrugarh, Lurinjyoti Gogoi participated in a rally in the town.

Sonowal also addressed the final public rally at Chiring Sapori in Dibrugarh on Wednesday evening.

Apart from Sonowal, two other candidates are in the fray from Dibrugarh seat. They are: Manoj Dhanowar (AAP) and Lurinjyoti Gogoi (AJP backed by Congress).

Four candidates are in the fray from Jorhat. They are: Gaurav Gogoi (INC), Topon Kumar Gogoi (BJP), Arun Chandra Handique (Ekom Sanatan Bharat dal) and Raj Kumar duarah (Independent).

11 candidates are in the fray from Kaziranga seat. They are: Kamakhya Prasad Tasa (BJP), Roselina Tirki (INC), Animal Deka Gupta (VPI), Selim Ahmed (Assam Jana Morcha), Saleh Ahmed Mazumdar (RPI-A), Sailen Chandra Mazumdar (BGP), Abdul Haque (Independent), Jyotish Ranjan Goswami (Independent), Tridip Jyoti Bhuyan (Independent), Dilwara begum (Independent) and Binod Gogoi (Independent).

Eight candidates will be frayed from Sonitpur constituency. They are: Rishiraj Kundilya (AA), Premlal Gunju (INC), Ranjhit Dutta (BJP), Raju Deori (BPF), Alam ali (BSP), Rameswar Swargiary (VPI), Rinku Roy (GSP) and pradip Bhandari (Independent).

Nine candidates are contesting the election from Lakhimpur constituency. They are: Uday Shankar Hazarika (INC), Pradan baruah (BJP), Ghanakanta Chutia (AITC), Dhiren Kachari (CPI), Pallab Pegu (SUCI), Biren Bailung (VPI), Govin Biswakarma (Independent), Dev Nath Pait (Independent) and Bikram Ramchiary (Independent).