Guwahati, 5th April: As Assam gears up for the first phase of polls on April 19 across five constituencies, a diverse spectrum of candidates has emerged, representing various professions and backgrounds.
Eight nominees, including incumbent BJP MPs Topon Gogoi and Pradan Barua, identify as cultivators who also actively engage in full-time politics, as per their submitted affidavits.
Assam Jatiya Parishad president and opposition candidate for Dibrugarh constituency, Lurinjyoti Gogoi, derives his income from agriculture, highlighting his status as a farmer in his affidavit.
Union Minister and BJP’s Dibrugarh candidate Sarbananda Sonowal, along with BJP’s Kaziranga nominee Kamakhya Prasad Tasa and Congress’s Jorhat aspirant Gaurav Gogoi, have officially declared their occupation as politicians, drawing salaries as MPs.
Ranjit Dutta, BJP’s Sonitpur candidate and MLA, is also a full-time politician, while his family members are involved in diverse businesses, including a fuel service station, tea garden, and brick industry.
Dibrugarh’s Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) contestant Manoj Dhanowar has affirmed his status as a politician and social worker, with his wife serving as a teacher and managing trustee of an educational and sports foundation.
Congress’s Kaziranga candidate Roselina Tirkey also identifies as a full-time politician.
Retired individuals, including a former government engineer, an insurance official, and a private firm worker, are also among the candidates vying for positions in the first phase.
Four women candidates are in the fray for the first phase polls, with Kaziranga parliamentary constituency boasting the highest number of female contenders. While Roselina Tirkey represents the Congress, Anima Deka Gupta of Voters International Party is a housewife, and independent candidate Diluwara Begum Chowdhury is a businesswoman owning a dealership of a leading oil PSU. Rinku Roy is contesting from Sonitpur.
Other candidates include Saleh Ahmed Mazumdar of the Republican Party of India, working as a private tutor, and Pallab Pal Pegu of SUCI (Communist), contesting from Lakhimpur.
With 35 candidates competing in Kaziranga, Jorhat, Dibrugarh, Sonitpur, and Lakhimpur constituencies, the electoral landscape reflects a rich tapestry of professions and backgrounds, offering voters a wide array of choices.