GUWAHATI
Seventy-four aspirants, including two party MPs, have applied for tickets to contest the 2024 Lok Sabha elections on a Congress ticket.
The two MPs are Abdul Khaleque and Pradyut Bordoloi, representing the Nagaon and Barpeta parliamentary constituencies. The former, however, did not specify the constituency applied for.
Gaurav Gogoi, the third MP representing the Kaliabor constituency – renamed and reshaped as Kaziranga after delimitation – is expected to apply by Thursday.
The highest number of applications, 11, was received for western Assam’s Dhubri constituency, followed by southern Assam’s Karimganj (10). Western Assam’s Kokrajhar and central-eastern Assam’s Kaziranga received two applications each.
“We have decided to extend the last date of submission of forms, which was December 19, by three days to December 22, given the enthusiastic response from aspirants,” State Congress president Bhupen Kumar Borah said.
Nine of Assam’s 14 Lok Sabha seats are currently held by the BJP. Three constituencies are represented by the Congress, one by the All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF), and one by an Independent.
The Congress collected a fee of ₹1 lakh from each applicant. The money would be refunded only to the applicants for the constituencies where the party decides not to contest as part of a possible seat-sharing arrangement with other constituents of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA).
Congress is among 15 parties in the alliance called the United Opposition Forum Assam (UOFA).
The other major parties are Assam Jatiya Parishad, Raijor Dal headed by former activist Akhil Gogoi, CPI(M), CPI, Jatiya Dal-Asom, NCP, RJD, Janata Dal (U), Trinamool, CPI(ML), and Aam Aadmi Party.
The Badruddin Ajmal-led AIUDF is the only major Opposition party that is not part of the UOFA.
The Opposition bloc will meet on December 26 at Chapor to chalk out its strategies for the elections. Chapor, in Dhubri district, is the birthplace of former Chief Minister and Congress leader Sarat Chandra Sinha.
