525 candidates in fray in Assam second phase poll

525 candidates are in the fray for 61 Assembly seats in Assam which will go to the polls in the second phase on April 11, an official release said today.
Altogether 593 persons had filed their nominations out of which the papers of 33 candidates were rejected while 35 candidates withdrew from the race, the release said.
Among the 525 candidates in the fray, 481 are men and 44 women with the ruling Congress having the highest number of 57 candidates, followed by AIUDF with 47, BJP with 35 and its alliance partner-the AGP with 19.
BJP's other alliance partner - Bodo Peoples' Front is contesting in ten seats, while CPI is contesting in five, CPI-ML(L) in one, CPI-M in nine, SUCI in 11, independents in 217 and others in 114, it said.

Among the prominent candidates in the fray are Congress Ministers Rakibul Hussain, Sukur Ali Ahmed, Dr Nazrul Islam, former Congress Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who joined the BJP last year, AIUDF Chief and Dhubri Lok Sabha MP Badruddin Ajmal, former AGP chief minister Prafulla Mahanta, former AGP ministers Atul Bora and Chandramohan Patowary (both in BJP now).
There are altogether 566 candidates -- 522 men and 44 women-- vying in first phase on April 4 with the prominent candidates being Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi from Titabor and BJP's chief ministerial candidate and union minister Sarbananda Sonowal from Majuli.