61 candidates in fray for second phase of LS polls in Assam

Guwahati: An independent candidate from Diphu (ST) constituency withdrew his nomination on Monday, leaving 61 nominees in the fray for the five Lok Sabha constituencies scheduled that go to the polls in the second phase in Assam on April 26, according to an election official.

Bikram Hanse, the independent candidate, withdrew his candidature, reducing the number of contestants to five from the seat. The remaining candidates are Joyram Engleng of Congress, Jotson Bey of Autonomous State Demand Committee (ASDC), BJP's Amarsing Tisso and an independent.

Initially, a total of 65 candidates had filed their nominations for the Karimganj, Silchar (SC), Diphu (ST), Nagaon, and Darrang-Udalguri constituencies, out of which three were rejected during scrutiny.

In Nagaon, there are 13 candidates in the fray, including sitting Congress MP Prodyut Bordoloi, BJP's Suresh Bora, and AIUDF's Aminul Islam.

In Karimganj, 24 candidates are contesting, with prominent contenders being sitting BJP MP Kripanath Malla, Hafez Rashid Choudhury of Congress, and AIUDF's Sahibul Alam Choudhury.

In Darrang-Udalguri, there are 11 candidates vying for the seat, including sitting BJP MP Dilip Saikia, Congress candidate Madhab Rajbongshi, and Bodo People's Front (BPF)'s Durga Das Boro.

Silchar constituency will see 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, 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.