Guwahati, 26th March: The Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, and Ayush, as well as a prominent leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Sarbananda Sonowal will officially submit his candidacy for the Dibrugarh Lok Sabha constituency. It’s anticipated that he will be accompanied by Himanta Biswa Sarma, the Chief Minister of Assam. Concurrently, MP Pradan Baruah, is expected to file his nomination for the Lakhimpur seat.
Additionally, Lurinjyoti Gogoi, representing the Asom Jatiya Parishad (AJP), who is contesting against Sarbananda Sonowal for the same seat, is also slated to submit his nomination on the same day. On a separate note, Manoj Dhanowar, the candidate from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), is scheduled to file his nomination for the Dibrugarh Lok Sabha seat on March 27.
Sarbananda Sonowal’s political journey includes serving as the Chief Minister of Assam from 2016 to 2021 and holding the presidency of the Assam BJP during two terms: 2012 to 2014 and then from 2015 to 2016. Notably, he also led the All Assam Students Union (AASU) from 1992 to 1999, which is the oldest student body in Assam.
Lurinjyoti Gogoi, the former general secretary of AASU from 2015 to 2020, is making his debut in parliamentary elections. Similarly, AAP candidate Manoj Dhanowar is also participating in parliamentary elections for the first time.
The Lok Sabha elections will be conducted in seven phases starting from April 19 to June 1, covering all 543 seats. Vote counting is scheduled for June 4. In Assam, the elections will be conducted in three phases: April 19, 26, and May 7. Five Lok Sabha seats – Kaziranga, Sonitpur, Lakhimpur, Dibrugarh, and Jorhat – will go to polls in the first phase.