Daijiworld Media Network - Guwahati
Guwahati, Mar 21: The All India Trinamool Congress, led by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, on Saturday released its first list of 17 candidates for the upcoming Assembly elections in Assam.
Among those named are Jiten Nag (Digboi), Tapas Das (Udharbond), Mominur Islam (Bilasipara), Rajan Chouhan (Gorewar), and Dulu Ahmed (Chamaria). The list also includes Udangsri Narzary (Baokhungri), Arif Akhtar Ahmed (Jaleswar), Fazlut Rahman Laskar (Katigorah), and Shahjahan Laskar (Sonai), among others.
Meanwhile, the Indian National Congress has released its fourth list, naming seven more candidates and taking its total tally to 94 for the 126-member Assembly.
The latest list includes Jayanta Borah, who joined the party after quitting the Bharatiya Janata Party in 2024, contesting from Biswanath. Other nominees include party spokesperson Bidisha Neog, Youth Congress leader Rohit Pariga, spokesperson Joy Prakash Das, Gyandip Mohan, Pran Kurmi, and Rahul Roy.
According to the All India Congress Committee, the Congress has allocated 11 seats to its alliance partner, Raijor Dal, as part of its broader strategy to take on the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance.
The alliance, finalised after weeks of negotiations, was jointly announced by Assam Congress chief Gaurav Gogoi and Raijor Dal leader Akhil Gogoi. It also includes the Assam Jatiya Parishad, Communist Party of India (Marxist), Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation, and the All Party Hill Leaders' Conference.
On the other side, the NDA has finalised its seat-sharing arrangement, with the BJP contesting 89 seats, Asom Gana Parishad fielding candidates in 26 constituencies, and the Bodoland People's Front contesting 11 seats.
Polling for the Assam Assembly elections is scheduled for April 9, with counting of votes set for May 4. The contest is expected to be primarily between the ruling BJP-led NDA and the Congress-led alliance.
In the 2021 Assembly elections, the NDA secured 75 seats, including 60 won by the BJP, while the Congress-led alliance managed to win only 16 seats, marking a significant setback for the opposition.