Three major parties have three new candidates each in Assam

Guwahati, Apr 11 : Three major political parties in Assam - Congress, Asom Gana Parishad and BJP - have put up three new candidates each in the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls to elect 14 MPs in two phases.

The AGP-BJP combine, with a seat sharing adjustment, has more new faces with the former contesting six and the latter seven in the forthcoming polls while the Congress is banking more on veteran candidates.

The Congress, which won nine seats in 2004, has renominated seven sitting MPs, but denied tickets to two sitting MPs Kirip Chaliha from Guwahati and A F Golam Osmani from Barpeta who subsequently died on March 31.

Chaliha has been replaced by Guwahati East MLA Capt Robin Bordoloi, son of Assam's first Prime Minister and sole Bharat Ratna Gopinath Bordoloi, while Barpeta seat has gone to minority leader Ismail Hussain.

The third new face from the Congress stable is Anil Raja from Nowgong who replaces losing candidate Bishnu Prasad.

The Congress has renominated three defeated candidates - Ranee Narah from Lakhimpur, Paban Singh Ghatowar from Dibrugarh and Madhab Rajbongshi from Mangaldoi parliamentary seats.

The party is not contesting the Kokrajhar seat, but supporting its state coalition partner Bodo Peoples' Front candidate S K Bwismuthiary.

The AGP has renominated two of its sitting MPs - former student leader Sarbananda Sonowal from Dibrugarh and Arun Sarmah from Lakhimpur while its candidate Sabda Ram Rabha from Kokrajhar had contested as an Independent in 2004.

The regional party has put up three new candidates-- Gunin Hazarika from Kaliabor and Joseph Toppo from Tezpur, former ministers in both the AGP governments in the state, and former MLA Bhupen Roy from Barpeta replaces the earlier party candidates who had lost in these seats.

The BJP has renominated only one of its two sitting MPs Rajen Gohain from Nagaon while the other Narayan Chandra Borkotoky has been replaced by party's state unit President Ramen Deka from Mangaldoi Lok Sabha seat.

Assam's cultural icon Bhupen Hazarika had unsuccessfully contested the Guwahati Parliamentary seat on a BJP ticket in 2004 but this time the party's national Vice President Bijoya Chakraborty, who had won in 1999 and went on to become an Union Minister of state has been nominated.

Besides Mangaldoi, the party has put up a fresh face Kulendra Daulagapu from Autonomous Hills constituency while the nomination papers of another new candidate Nilimoy Prodhani from Dhubri were cancelled. He was later expelled.

Three other candidates who had lost - Kabindra Purukayastha from Silchar, Parimal Suklabaidya from Karimganj and Kamakhya Prasad Tassa - are also in the fray.

AGP moves EC against NREGA cards

GUWAHATI, March 28 – Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) today pleaded with the Election Commission of India that the documents prescribed for identification of the voters during the last Assembly elections in the State should be prescribed this time too by the Commission for the same purpose.

In a memorandum to the Election Commission, the AGP expressed the apprehension that the latest decision of the Commission to treat the NREGA job cards for identification of the voters might be misused by the Congress by issuing fake job cards in the name of ongoing projects.

It needs mention here that Election Commissioner Nabin B Chawla had announced at a press conference here on Tuesday that for identification of the voters, NREGA job cards would also be treated as valid documents.

Addressing a press conference here today, AGP general secretary and chief spokesman Atul Bora (Junior) told newsmen that the decision of the Election Commission might help the Congress prepare fake NREGA job cards. Moreover, the decision of the Commission that the members of a family should go together to the polling stations along with the head of their family might also debar the voters from exercising their franschise, he said.

The AGP in its memorandum has pleaded that the Commission should review the above decisions on identification of the voters, he said.

He also announced that the AGP would move the Election Commission against Congress nominee for Tezpur Lok Sabha seat Mani Kumar Subba for his distributing money among the voters. A local TV channel has already telecast the video footage depicting Subba’s misconduct of distributing money among the voters, Bora said.

The AGP is also not satisfied with the version of Election Commissioner Nabin Chawla that the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) are tamper-proof. Or else, why the Chief Minister is exuding so much confidence that the Congress would win more seats than the previous Lok Sabha elections, despite there being a strong non-incumbency wave in the State, wondered the AGP chief spokesman.