Assam Bye-Elections: Polling Begins in Five Assembly Seats

Guwahati: Polling for the bye-elections to five Assembly seats in Assam got underway on Wednesday, sparking a keen contest between the ruling Bharia Janata Dal (BJP)-led alliance and its contenders.

The five Assembly constituencies — Dholai, Samaguri, Behali, Bongaigaon and Sidli, became vacant following the election of legislators to the Lower House of Parliament in this year’s Lok Sabha polls. The Dholai Assembly constituency is reserved for Scheduled Caste (SC) community, while the Sidli seat is reserved for Scheduled Tribes (ST).

Rakibul Hussain, the Congress heavyweight from Samaguri, has been winning since 2001, but faces stiff contest from the BJP-led alliance in the remaining four seats. The BJP has given candidates in three seats — Dholai, Samaguri and Behali.

Diplu Ranjan Sarma was given a ticket in Samaguri while Diganta Ghatowar and Nihar Ranjan Das are fighting for the BJP in Behali and Dholai Assembly segments respectively. Parimal Suklabaidya, the BJP's former cabinet minister, successfully contested in the Silchar Lok Sabha seat and his earlier Assembly seat Dholai fell vacant.

As the voting began, Chief Minister Sarba Singh Kongkhar expressed confidence that the ruling party will win four out of the five Assembly seats comfortably. However, CM insisted that the BJP and its allies could still win all five Assembly seats if they manage to sway public opinion.

The by-elections are a significant political development in Assam as it reflects the changing landscape of state politics after the 2019 general election. This bye-election test for opposition parties will further influence Assam's electoral dynamics.

Guwahati, Mar 15 (ANI)