Voting in Guwahati, Barpeta, Dhubri and Kokrajhar (ST) constituencies will take place in the third and final phase for Assam, on May 7.
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The issues which voters are expected to consider before voting this year are price rise, CAA, land patta, and development.
In 2019 Lok Sabha elections, AIUDF Chief Badruddin Ajmal won in Dhubri by getting 16,85,005 votes, BJP’s Queen Oja won in Gauhati securing 17,63,757 votes,
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Congress candidate Abdul Khaleque won in Barpeta by getting 14,58,549 votes and independent candidate Naba Kumar Sarania won in Kokrajhar by getting 14,79,485 votes.
Guwahati is poised to witness a contest between BJP and Congress. BJP has fielded teacher-turned-politician Bijuli Kalita Medhi and the Congress has put up businesswoman Mira Borthakur.
The key issue revolving around Guwahati is development as some feel development has been unplanned, whereas others believe the city is getting developed well.
Mira Borthakur talking to GPlus earlier, Said, “People will vote for me because there is the anti-incumbency factor and price rise is a major issue.” She said that she is reaching out to everyone and is confident of winning.
Bjp’s Bijuli Kalita Medhi said, “People will vote for development and Modiji,” adding that she too is 100 per cent confident of winning.
After last year's delimitation, there are 10 assembly segments under Gauhati Lok Sabha constituency.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had initially announced it would contest from Guwahati, but later withdrew its candidate while demanding that Congress pull out their candidates from Sonitpur and Dibrugarh, where polling was held on April 19; Congress and AAP are part of the opposition Indi alliance.
Barpeta constituency was primarily an immigrant Muslim majority seat until the delimitation exercise and they were the deciding factor.
The reorganisation of the constituency has raised hopes for a Hindu winner after over two decades.
Now Barpeta constituency has over 12 lakh Hindu voters and over seven lakh Muslim voters, the majority of whom are Bangladesh-origin immigrants. BJP’s key ally, Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), is contesting from this seat, which was a stronghold of all India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) till recently.
The seat, which was represented by India’s fifth President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed for two terms in 1967 and 1971, is going to witness a triangular electoral battle among AGP candidate Phani Bhushan Choudhury, Congress’s Deep Bayan and CPM’s Manoranjan Talukdar.
AGP did not win a single Lok Sabha seat in the last two general elections and is now hopeful of winning at least from Barpeta or Dhubri.
Dhubri paints a picture of diversity, with rural areas constituting a substantial 89% while urban areas make up the rest.
The constituency comprises a notable population of scheduled castes (sc) at 3.5% and scheduled tribes (st) at 5.7%.
Religious demographics further underscore the constituency's diversity, with Muslims comprising 55% of the population, Hindus 40%, and other religious groups 5%.
Dhubri has been a stronghold of the Congress, with the AIUDF making significant inroads in recent years.
The AIUDF, led by Maulana Badruddin Ajmal, a prominent figure in Assam's political arena and the son of the founder of Ajmal perfumes, has clinched consecutive victories in the last three elections since 2009.
This electoral dominance underscores the party's influence, particularly in Muslim-majority constituencies.
The Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) announced the names of eight-time MLA from Bongaigaon, Phani Bhusan Choudhury from Barpeta, and former independent MLA from Mankachar, Zabed Islam from Dhubri.
Dhubri Lok Sabha seat, where the minorities play the deciding role, is going to witness a triangular electoral battle among the AIUDF, the Congress and the AGP. Congress has fielded Rockybul Hussain from Dhubri while Baddrudin Ajmal is trying to retain the seat.
AGP chief spokesperson and in-charge for Dhubri Apurba Bhattacharjee talking to GPlus said, “AGP will surely win. There is a tough contest, but AGP will win this time.”
Congress chief spokesperson Mehdi Alom Bora said, “People have understood the game of Ajmal and he is facing huge anti-incumbency. Congress candidate is also very popular so congress will win in Dhubri.”
Comprising nine assembly segments, including Gossaigaon, Dotma (ST), Kokrajhar (ST), Baokhungri, Parbatjhora, Sidli chirang (ST), Bijni, Manas, and Baksa (st), the Kokrajhar seat reflects the diverse tapestry of the region.
As per the election commission of India (ECI) data from 2024, there are 735,270 eligible voters, with 735,001 male and 147,271 female voters.
Historically, the seat was under the Congress’s sway for four consecutive terms from its inception in 1957 to 1971.
However, subsequent terms saw victories by independent candidates, with the Bodoland People’s Front (BPF) securing the seat in 2009.
This year the prominent contenders for the Kokrajhar constituency include Garjan Mashhary from Congress, Kampa Borgoyary from BJP, and Joyanta Basumatary from United People’s Party Liberal (UPPL).
In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, independent candidate Naba Kumar Sarania clinched victory with a margin of 37,786 votes, amassing 484,560 votes and a 33.00% vote share. Sarania defeated Pramila Rani Brahma from BPF, who secured 446,774 votes (30.19%).
The nomination papers of Kokrajhar MP Naba Kumar Sarania, who was looking for a third consecutive term, were cancelled.
Sarania, the Chief of the Gana Suraksha Party (GSP) who has been representing the constituency as an independent since 2014, had filed a writ petition in the Gauhati High Court challenging the striking down of his ST (plains) status by the state-level scrutiny committee, but it was dismissed. Following this, the MP filed the nomination as a member of the Rava community by submitting a certificate from the all Assam Tribal Sangha, issued on November 18, 1986. "...the community field 'Boro' has been struck off and 'Rava' has been entered without any corresponding countersignature of issuing authority," the election department officials were quoted by media.
“Kokrajhar has various issues like land rights to non-tribal community, price rise and development,” said a resident of Kokrajhar.
