Stage set for by-election to 4 Assam assembly constituencies

By-elections to the four Assam Assembly constituencies - Rangapara, Sonari, Ratabari and Jania - will be held on Monday to decide the fate of 20 contestants by 6,78,898 voters, including 3,27,803 female and one third gender.

Polling officials with EVMs and VVPATs on Sunday moved to the 830 polling stations across the four constituencies, the election office here said.

The bypolls were necessitated with two sitting BJP MLAs and ministers Pallab Lochan Das (Rangapara) and Tapan Gogoi (Sonari), Deputy Speaker Kripanath Mallah (Ratabari) and Congress MLA Abdul Khaleque (Jania) elected to the Lok Sabha.

In Rangapara, five candidates are in the fray with the contest likely to be direct between Rajen Bortakur of BJP and Kartik Kurmi of Congress while the other candidates are Royal Soreng of CPI(M), Sanjit Rajbangshi of SUCI (Communist) and Arup Kumar Chowdhury of the Bharatiya Gana Parishad.

In Sonari, there will be a direct contest between the two candidates in fray - BJP's Nabanita Handique and Sushil Kumar Suri of Congress.

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

Jania has the highest of nine candidates in the poll arena with the contest likely to be triangular among actor- politician Towfiqur Rahman (BJP), Samsul Hoque (INC) and Rafiqul Islam (AIUDF). The others 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).

Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, Finance and Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma along with BJP Assam unit President Ranjeet Dass, former Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, Assam Congress president Ripun Bora, party MP Gaurav Gogoi and AIUDF Chief Badruddin Ajmal had campaigned for their party candidates.

Assam Government has declared October 21 as Public Holiday under the Negotiable Instruments (NI) Act in the four constituencies to facilitate voting.

Results of the by-election will be announced on Thursday, the election office added.