Assam polls phase one: 267 candidates in fray

Guwahati, Mar 17: A total of 267 candidates are contesting the first phase of Assam Assembly elections due on March 27. 297 candidates have filed their papers for the first phase in which 47 constituencies will be going to polls. 18 contestants have withdrawn from the contest and papers of another 10 candidates were rejected.

Prominent among those contesting the elections in the first phase included Chief Minister Sarbanada Sonowal, from the Majuli assembly seat. Majuli is world famous river island situated in the Brahmaputra River in Upper Assam and is also a famous religious seat of the Vaishnava Sect of Srimant Sankardeva.

Sonowal will be seeking the second term from Majuli which he had won in 2016 Assembly elections and become the chief minister of the state.

Other prominent personalities include Keshab Mahanta (Kaliabor), Naba Kumar DOley (Dhakuakhana), Ranjit Dutta (Behali), Jugen Mohan (Mahmara), and Sanjay Kishen (Tinsukia) – all ministers in Sonowal cabinet.

As many as 60 candidates will be testing luck for the first time and significant among them are Prithviraj Rava, son of Kalaguru Bishnu Prasad Rabha, the doyen of Assamese culture and literature, contesting on Ason Gana Parishad ticket and Pranjawal Ghatowar, son of veteran Congress leader and former central minister Paban Singh Ghatowar, contesting on a Congress ticket from tea garden voters dominated Moran constituency.

Some newly formed parties that came into existence during the anti-CAA movement will also be contesting the first phase election. Akhil Gogoi, jailed KMSS leader is contesting from Sivsagar as a president of the recently launched ‘Raijor Dal’ (People’s party). Student leader and former AASU general secretary Lurinjyoti Gogoi would be contesting from Naharkatia and Duliajan as President of the regional outfit Asom Jatiya Parishad (AJP).