Guwahati, 22 Mar: Congress nominee Prem Lal Ganju, contesting from Sonitpur parliamentary constituency, became the first candidate to file the nomination papers for the first phase polls in Assam scheduled on April 19, an election official said.
No nomination was filed by any of the candidates of the remaining four constituencies- Kaziranga, Lakhimpur, Dibrugarh and Jorhat – till Friday. The notification for the first phase was issued on March 20.
Ganju, a state Congress general secretary, was accompanied by Pradesh Congress president Bhupen Kumar Borah, the party’s Dhubri contestant and sitting MLA Rakibul Hussain, while he filed the nomination papers. In Sonitpur, Ganju will contest against BJP’s Behali MLA Ranjit Dutta.
Both Dutta, a minister in the erstwhile Sarbananda Sonowal government in the state, and Ganju will contest for the first time in the Lok Sabha polls.
Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, contesting from the prestigious Dibrugarh constituency, and deputy leader of the Congress in Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi, contesting from Nagaon, are likely to file their nomination papers on March 26, party sources said.
Elections to the 14 Lok Sabha constituencies in Assam will be held in the first three phases – on April 19, 26 and May 7 – of the seven-phase general elections in the country.
The last date of filing nominations for the first phase of polls is on March 27, scrutiny of nominations will be on March 28, and the last date of withdrawal of candidature is March 30. (PTI)
In Dibrugarh, Sonowal will contest against the United Opposition Front of Assam (UOFA’s) candidate Lurinjyoti Gogoi, while in Jorhat Gaurav Gogoi will fight against sitting BJP MP Topon Gogoi, and in Kaziranga, BJP Rajya Sabha MP Kamakhya Prasad Tasa has been pitted against former Congress MLA Roselina Tirkey.
The counting of votes of all seats will be held on June 4.
In the outgoing Lok Sabha, BJP held nine seats, Congress three, AIUDF and an independent one each from the state. (PTI)