Joint rally in Guwahati leads statewide surge in filing as defections, multi-cornered contests and local issues shape poll narratives
Guwahati: A key phase in Assam’s electoral process unfolded as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)– led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) held a joint rally in Guwahati. Several political developments gathered pace across the state.
In a coordinated display, BJP nominees Pradyut Bordoloi (Dispur), Diplu Ranjan Sharma (New Guwahati) and Vijay Gupta (Central Guwahati), along with Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) candidate Tapan Das (Dimoria), led a joint rally before filing nominations. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, contesting from Jalukbari, had filed earlier, completing the NDA’s presence across all five constituencies in Kamrup Metro.
Despite the show of strength, dissent surfaced in Dispur over candidate selection, even as senior leader Jayanta Das resigned, and Atul Bora was pacified after initial resistance.
Beyond Guwahati, high-stakes contests took shape. In Sivsagar, BJP’s Kushal Dowari filed nomination papers, setting up a three-cornered battle against AGP’s Pradip Hazarika and Raijor Dal’s Akhil Gogoi. In Dimow, BJP’s Sushanta Borgohain filed his papers, naming Ajay Gogoi from the Raijor Dal party as his key rival.
In Abhyapuri, Congress candidate Pradip Kumar Sarkar filed his nomination after a grand procession, taking on BJP’s Bhupen Roy. Raijor Dal candidate Abdul Rashid Mandal entered the fray from East Goalpara, foregrounding eviction as a central campaign issue.
Haflong witnessed a major shift, where Nandita Garlosa joined the Indian National Congress (INC) and filed her nomination trigerring unrest within the BJP ranks.
In Goalpara, BJP candidates Tankeswar Rabha (Dudhnoi ST) and Pabitra Rabha (West Goalpara ST) filed nominations. While in Diphu, All Party Hills Leaders’ Conference (APHLC) candidate J.I. Kathar entered the contest as part of an opposition alliance.
In Dhubri, BJP’s Uttam Prasad filed his nominations amid a massive rally. Congress candidates, Mira Borthakur Goswami (Dispur), Shantanu Bora (New Guwahati) and Bidisha Neog ( Jalukbari) also completed their filings earlier in the day.
Sonitpur saw the submission of nominations of the following candidates, Kartik Kurmi (Rangapara), Batas Orang (Dekhiajuli) and Sunil Chetri (Naduar).
With scrutiny on March 24 and polling on April 9, Assam now heads into an intense electoral battle
Also Read: IAF Civilian Staff Held for Alleged Espionage Link with Pakistan Network
