Congress candidate Dhrubajyoti Purakayastha has officially filed his nomination for the Dholai constituency in Assam’s upcoming assembly by-polls, a senior official confirmed today. The nomination was submitted at the District Commissioner’s office in Cachar, ahead of the by-elections scheduled for November 13, with vote counting set for November 23.
Assam’s Chief Electoral Officer, Anurag Goel, noted that Purakayastha was the sole candidate to file papers on the first day of nominations. The deadline for filing nominations is October 25, followed by scrutiny on October 28, with candidates allowed to withdraw until October 30.
Accompanied by a large contingent of party leaders and supporters, Purakayastha’s filing was attended by Assam Congress president Bhupen Kumar Borah, Leader of the Opposition Debabrata Saikia, and other senior Congress figures. Borah took the opportunity to criticize the ruling BJP, accusing it of failing to deliver on promises made to the people of Barak Valley, particularly concerning benefits for tea garden workers.
Confident in their prospects, Borah asserted that the Congress would win the Dholai seat by a substantial margin. The Dholai constituency, reserved for Scheduled Castes (SC), is one of five seats up for grabs in the by-polls. The other constituencies include Sidli (ST), Bongaigaon, Behali, and Samaguri, all of which were vacated after their representatives were elected to the Lok Sabha. Dholai’s former MLA, Parimal Suklabaidya, is now serving as a Lok Sabha MP.
The political atmosphere in Dholai is heating up as the nomination process progresses, with parties vying to secure the seat in these crucial by-elections.