New Delhi/Guwahati, March 19 The Congress released its third list of 22 candidates for the April 9 Assam Assembly polls on Thursday, which included four sitting MLAs, two of whom are working presidents of the state unit.
The third working president has also been nominated in the latest list, with the opposition party so far announcing a total of 87 candidates for the upcoming election in the northeastern state.
No new candidate was named for the Margherita constituency after the original nominee, Prateek Bordoloi, withdrew following his father, Pradyut Bordoloi, quitting the Congress to join the BJP.
The Congress is leading an alliance of opposition parties, including the CPI(M), Assam Jatiya Parishad, and the CPI (ML) Liberation. Talks are still ongoing with another party, the Raijor Dal.
The Central Election Committee of the party has selected the candidates for the upcoming Assam polls, a statement from All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary, organisation, K C Venugopal said.
Working presidents and MLAs Pradip Sarkar and Jakir Hussain Sikdar have been nominated from Abhayapuri and Pakabetbari constituencies, respectively.
Former MLA Roselina Tirkey, the third working president, has been nominated from Khumtai.
Incumbent legislators Abdur Rahim Ahmed and Asif Mohamad Nazar have been given the party ticket from Chenga and Laharighat seats, respectively.
Among other candidates in the third list are Manik Brahma from Kokrajhar (reserved for the Scheduled Tribe), Sapali Marak from Baokhungri, Ashraful Islam Sheikh from Parbatjhora, Baby Begum from Dhubri, Aftab Uddin Mollah from Jaleshwar, and Matilal Narzary from Sidli Chirang (ST).
Rafie Daimary will contest from Tamulpur (ST), Durlav Chamua from Nagaon-Batadraba, Joyonto Khaund from Rongonadi, Ghana Buragohain from Lakhimpur, Ananda Narah from Dhakuakhana, and Zubair Anam Mazumder from Algapur-Katlicherra.
The Congress had released its first list of 42 candidates on March 3 and another list of 23 candidates on Saturday.
The party has left 15 seats for its alliance partners in Assam.
Among its candidates named in the first two lists are state party chief Gaurav Gogoi from Jorhat, Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly Debabrata Saikia from Nazira, and former Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president Ripun Bora from Barchalla.
The Congress has been out of power in the northeastern state since 2016, while the BJP-led government will be eyeing a third straight term.
In the outgoing Assembly, the ruling BJP has 64 MLAs, while its allies AGP has nine, UPPL has seven, and BPF has three members.
In the opposition camp, the Congress has 26 MLAs, AIUDF has 15 members, and CPI(M) has one MLA. There is also an Independent legislator.
