Campaigning ends for Assam by-polls

Campaigning for October 21 by-elections to four Assembly constituencies in Assam ended on Saturday. The fate of 20 contestants in the four seats - Rangapara, Sonari, Ratabari and Jania - will be known when results will be announced after counting of votes on October 24.

The by-polls to these constituencies were necessitated after sitting BJP MLAs and ministers Pallab Lochan Das (Rangapara) and Tapan Gogoi (Sonari) along with Deputy Speaker Kripanath Mallah (Ratabari) and Congress MLA Abdul Khaleque (Jania) were elected to the Lok Sabha.

Campaigning was low-key in the seats with state leaders addressing election meetings along with the candidates in the respective constituencies.

In Rangapara, five candidates are in the fray. They are Rajen Bortakur of BJP, Kartik Kurmi of Congress, Royal Soreng of CPI(M), Sanjit Rajbangshi of SUCI (Communist) and Arup Kumar Chowdhury of the Bharatiya Gana Parishad.

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BJP's Nabanita Handique and Sushil Kumar Suri of Congress are the contestants in Sonari.

In Ratabari, four candidates are in the arena but the fight is likely to be straight between Bijoy Malakar of BJP and Keshab Prasad Rajak of Congress. Birendra Ravidas (SUCI- Communist) and Parikhit Roy (Independent) are also in the fray.

Jania constituency has the highest number of nine candidates with the contest likely to be triangular among Towfiqur Rahman (BJP), Samsul Hoque (INC) and Rafiqul Islam (AIUDF).

The other candidates are Chand Mahmud (NPP), Faruk Khan (AAP), Rustom Ali (CPI-M), Abdul Jalil Talukdar (Ind), Rafikul Islam (Democratic Party of India) and Subhash Sutradhar (Ind).

Assam government has declared October 21 as a public holiday under the Negotiable Instruments (NI) Act in the four constituencies.

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