74 Congress aspirants apply for tickets for 14 Lok Sabha seats in Assam

Guwahati: Seventy-four Congress leaders including two sitting MPa of the party have applied for tickets to contest the 2024 Lok Sabha elections on party ticket in Assam.

The two MPs are Abdul Khaleque and Pradyut Bordoloi, representing the Nagaon and Barpeta parliamentary constituencies have applied for the ticket but the forme did not specify the constituency applied for.

The party sources said that Mr Gaurav Gogoi, the third MP representing the Kaliabor asby Thursday. He could not apply due to the ongoing session of the parliament, party sources said.

The deadline for accepting applications from party members for the 2024 Lok Sabha election tickets ended on Tuesday.

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.

Assam Congress president Bhupen Borah told reporters, “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.”

It is significant that 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 Rs one 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).

Assam Congress is also among 15 parties in the alliance called the United Opposition Forum.

The other major parties of the United Opposition Forum 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 forum floated recently to counter ruling BJP.

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 Sarat Chandra Sinha.