HT Bureau
GUWAHATI, March 28: The nomination papers of two candidates, one each from Kaziranga and Sonitpur seats, were found invalid during scrutiny on Thursday.
Altogether 38 contestants have filed nominations for five constituencies which will go to polls in the first phase in the state on April 19.
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The papers of the Republican Party of India (Athawale) nominee Faisal Ahmed Majumdar in Kaziranga, and those of independent candidate Mahendra Orang in Sonitpur were rejected, an official source said on Thursday.
The papers of the remaining 36 candidates in all five constituencies were found to be valid. The last date for withdrawal of candidature is March 30.
Kaziranga has the highest number of 11 candidates, followed by nine in Lakhimpur, eight in Sonitpur, five in Jorhat and three in Dibrugarh.
The prominent candidates contesting in the first phase are Union minister Sarbananda Sonowal, Lok Sabha deputy leader of the opposition and Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi, sitting MPs Topon Gogoi and Pradan Baruah, Rajya Sabha MP Kamakhya Prasad Tasa and BJP MLA Ranjit Dutta.
In the outgoing Lok Sabha, BJP held nine seats, Congress three, AIUDF and an independent one each from the state.
Meanwhile, the notification for the second phase of polling in five Lok Sabha seats of Assam on April 26 was issued on Thursday.
As per the notification, voting will take place in Nagaon, Darrang-Udalguri, Diphu (ST), Silchar (SC) and Karimganj during the second phase.
No nominations were filed on Thursday for the five Lok Sabha constituencies, the official said.
The prominent candidates to contest in the second phase are Congress sitting MP Pradyut Bordoloi from Nagaon against BJP’s Suresh Bora and AIUDF Aminul Islam while BJP sitting MP Dilip Saikia has been pitted against Congress candidate Madhab Rajbongshi in Darrang-Udalguri.
In Silchar (SC), Assam excise minister Parimal Suklabaidya is the BJP candidate and he will take on Congress youth leader and district general secretary Surjya Kanta Sarkar.
In Karimganj, sitting BJP MP Kripanath Mallah has been given the ticket against Congress candidate Hafez Ahmed Choudhury and AIUDF’s Sahabul Islam Choudhury.
In Diphu (ST), the BJP has fielded first-timer Amarsing Tisso against its former MLA and now Congress candidate Joyram Engleng.
The last date for filing of nominations is April 4, scrutiny on April 5 and the last date for withdrawal of nominations is April 8.
Polling for the 14 Sabha constituencies in Assam will be held in the first three phases on April 19, 26 and May 7.
Five constituencies each will go to the polls in the first and second phases while in the third phase, polling will be held in four seats.
In the first phase, 38 candidates filed their nominations for the Kaziranga, Jorhat, Dibrugarh, Sonitpur and Lakhimpur Lok Sabha constituencies.
In the outgoing Lok Sabha, BJP held nine seats, Congress three, AIUDF and an independent one from the state. (With inputs from PTI)
