HT Correspondent
DIBRUGARH, March 20: Senior BJP leader and Power Minister Prasanta Phukan filed his nomination papers on Friday for the Dibrugarh Assembly constituency, seeking a fifth consecutive term.
Accompanied by a large procession of party workers and supporters, the 71-year-old leader began the march from the Old High School Field and concluded at the Dibrugarh District Commissioner’s office.
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Phukan, who became the first BJP candidate to win the Dibrugarh seat in 2006, has seen his victory margin grow significantly over successive elections.
In his debut election in 2006, he defeated sitting Congress MLA Dr Kalyan Kumar Gogoi by a narrow margin of 175 votes, securing 28,424 votes against Gogoi’s 28,249.
In 2011, contesting against Dr Gogoi again, Phukan won by 19,609 votes, polling 46,506 votes compared to Gogoi’s 26,897.
In the 2016 election, he defeated Congress candidate Chandra Kanta Barua by 27,374 votes, securing 63,985 votes against Barua’s 36,611.
In 2021, he achieved his highest margin to date, winning by 38,005 votes against Congress candidate Rajkumar Nilanetra Neog. Phukan received 68,762 votes while Neog polled 30,757. Speaking after filing his nomination, Phukan expressed confidence in retaining the seat. “Looking at the ground reality and the work our government has done, I am confident of winning by a massive margin this time,” he said.
