The Indian National Congress on Saturday announced its second list of candidates for the upcoming Assam Assembly elections, naming 23 nominees for different constituencies across the state. With this announcement, the party has now declared 65 candidates for the 126-member Assam Legislative Assembly.
The list was released by Congress general secretary (organisation) K. C. Venugopal. Party leaders stated that several seats have also been kept aside for alliance partners as part of the opposition coalition contesting the polls expected to be held in April.
Three Sitting MLAs Renominated
In the newly released list, the Congress has renominated three sitting legislators.
They include:
- Wazed Ali Choudhury from Birsing Jarua
- Abul Kalam Rasheed Alam from Goalpara East
- Rakibuddin Ahmed from Chamaria
The party has also fielded former Lok Sabha MP Abdul Khaleque from the Mandia constituency. Khaleque previously served two terms as a Member of the Legislative Assembly, making him one of the experienced candidates in the lineup.
Other Candidates Announced
Among other notable names included in the list are:
- Bipul Gogoi from Tingkhong
- Kartik Chandra Kurmi from Rangapara
- Santanu Borah from New Guwahati
- Kishore Kumar Barua from Dimoria
- Nurul Islam from Srijangram
- Devid Phukan from Tinsukia
Party leaders said the candidate selection reflects a mix of experienced politicians and new faces as the Congress aims to strengthen its position in the state.
Seats Left for Alliance Partners
The Congress has kept 15 constituencies for its alliance partners as part of the opposition coalition. These include seats such as Bajali, Palasbari, Guwahati Central, Goreswar, Morigaon, Barhampur, Bindakandi, Behali, Dibrugarh and Diphu, among others.
The party is leading an opposition alliance that includes the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the Assam Jatiya Parishad. On Saturday, the CPI (ML) Liberation also extended its support to the alliance.
However, the Raijor Dal, which was part of earlier opposition alliances, is not part of the current arrangement for the upcoming polls. Its leader Akhil Gogoi had won the previous Assembly election as an Independent candidate.
First List Released Earlier
Earlier, on March 3, the Congress had released its first list of 42 candidates. Among the prominent names announced earlier was state Congress president Gaurav Gogoi, who will contest from the Jorhat constituency.
The party also confirmed that Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Debabrata Saikia will contest from Nazira, while former Assam Pradesh Congress Committee president Ripun Bora has been fielded from Barchalla.
Political Scenario in Assam
The Congress has been out of power in Assam since 2016, when the Bharatiya Janata Party formed the government in the state. The BJP-led alliance is now aiming for a third consecutive term in the upcoming elections.
At present, the BJP holds 64 seats in the Assembly. Its allies include the Asom Gana Parishad with nine MLAs, the United People’s Party Liberal with seven MLAs, and the Bodoland People’s Front with three MLAs.
In the opposition camp, the Congress currently has 26 MLAs, while the All India United Democratic Front holds 15 seats and the CPI(M) has one legislator. There is also one Independent MLA in the Assembly.
First Election After Delimitation
The upcoming polls will also be the first Assembly election after the 2023 delimitation exercise in Assam. During the process, the boundaries of several constituencies were redrawn, although the total number of Assembly seats remained unchanged at 126.
Political observers believe the new constituency boundaries could significantly influence electoral dynamics in several regions of the state as parties prepare for the crucial contest expected next month.
