Guwahati, Mar 15 (PTI) Assam’s 126 assembly constituencies, spread across four distinct regions — Brahmaputra Valley, Barak Valley, hill districts and Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR) — feature several prominent seats that will be the cynosure in the polls scheduled to be held in one phase on April 9.
Assamese people, minorities comprising Bengali-speaking and Assamese Muslims, the tea tribe community and indigenous tribal communities will play crucial roles in different pockets during the polls.
The prominent constituencies in the state are as follows: JALUKBARI: The assembly constituency, which is a mix of both urban and rural voters under Gauhati Lok Sabha seat, has been represented by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma for five terms. He won by a record margin of over one lakh votes in 2021, and will most likely make a bid to retain it for the sixth consecutive time.
JORHAT: A prominent seat in Brahmaputra Valley’s Upper Assam, Jorhat primarily comprises urban voters and is expected to witness a key contest between Congress and BJP candidates. Congress state president Gaurav Gogoi will make his assembly election foray from the constituency which has been represented by veteran politician Hitendra Nath Goswami for five terms: thrice consecutively since 1991 as an AGP candidate and again twice as a BJP nominee from 2016.
NAZIRA: A constituency dominated by tea gardens and the oil sector, Nazira has been a family stronghold of the late chief minister Hiteswar Saikia, having been represented both by him and his wife Hemoprava Saikia, who was a minister in the Tarun Gogoi government. It is currently held by their son and Leader of the Opposition in the state assembly, Debabrata Saikia, who will try to retain it for the fourth consecutive term in the upcoming polls.
GOLAGHAT: A constituency with several tea gardens under its ambit, Golaghat is currently represented by the state’s first woman finance minister, Ajanta Neog, who holds the record of being the longest-serving female legislator in the state, with five consecutive terms since 2001. She has represented Golaghat as a Congress member till 2020 when she quit and joined the BJP, winning it again in 2021.
DULIAJAN: A constituency with tea gardens and oil and natural gas installations, Duliajan was represented by BJP’s Terash Gowala for two consecutive terms from 2016. He was recently elected to the Rajya Sabha. The seat was earlier held by BJP’s Rameswar Teli, who was elected to the Rajya Sabha in 2020 and went on to become a Union minister. He is likely to contest the seat in the coming polls.
PANERY: A stronghold of the Bodo tribe, the constituency has been represented by the outgoing assembly’s Speaker Biswajit Daimary. He represented the seat as a candidate for both the Bodoland Peoples’ Front (BPF) and the BJP.
KOKRAJHAR: As a newly constituted assembly seat following the 2023 delimitation exercise, Kokrajhar is likely to garner attention. The BPF has an advantage but the other NDA ally, the United Peoples’ Party Liberal (UPPL), may also put up a candidate there.
BARPETA: Earlier a minority-dominated constituency, its demographics were realigned during the delimitation exercise. The seat is currently represented by Congress’ Abdur Rahim Ahmed but the party has named Mahananda Sarkar as its candidate for the forthcoming polls.
SILCHAR: In the Barak Valley, Silchar is a prominent constituency that was once the stronghold of the late Congress leader Santosh Mohan Dev and was represented by his wife Bithika Dev and daughter Sushmita Dev, who is currently a TMC MP. The BJP also had a considerably influence in the constituency, comprising mostly Bengali Hindus, and has retained the seat since 2016.
SAMAGURI: A stronghold of Dhubri Lok Sabha Congress MP Rakibul Hussain, who represented the constituency for five consecutive terms. BJP’s Diplu Ranjan Sarma, however, wrested it from his son Tanzil Hussain during the by-elections necessitated by the senior Hussain’s election to Parliament. Congress has given Tanzil the ticket again for the coming polls.
BARCHALLA: A prominent constituency in the northern bank of the Brahmaputra, Barchalla has been represented by BJP’s Ganesh Kumar Limbu for the last two terms, since 2016. Former Congress Rajya Sabha member, Assam minister and party’s state unit president Ripun Bora will be the opposition candidate from the seat in the upcoming polls.
DISPUR: A prestigious constituency, comprising parts of Guwahati city and its suburbs, Dispur has been represented by BJP’s Atul Bora for two terms since 2016. He also represented the seat from 1985 to 1996 as an AGP candidate and was a powerful minister in Prafulla Kumar Mahanta’s first ministry. The Congress gave the ticket to its Pradesh Mahila Congress President Mira Borthakur who had unsuccessfully contested the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. She was earlier in the BJP but joined the Congress after the CAA protests in 2019. PTI DG ACD
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