24 contenders set to heat up battle for 6 Dibrugarh seats

Dibrugarh: The political tempo in Dibrugarh district reached a crescendo on Monday, with several prominent candidates filing their papers at the DC’s office on the final day of filing nominations for the April 9 assembly polls.The stage is now set for a multi-cornered contest across all six seats in the district, with region poised to witness one of its most keenly watched electoral battles. Among the most prominent names to file their nominations on Monday was state minister and sitting Tingkhong MLA Bimal Borah, who is seeking another term from the constituency on a BJP ticket. Joining him was former Union minister of state and ex-MP Rameswar Teli, who filed his papers as the BJP candidate from Duliajan. Sitting Naharkatia MLA Taranga Gogoi also submitted his nomination.Binod Hazarika, the BJP MLA from the now-abolished Lahowal constituency, filed his nomination from the newly constituted Chabua-Lahowal seat. His candidacy sets up a direct contest with Congress nominee Pranjal Ghatowar, with the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM)’s Bhuban Murari and Trinamool Congress (TMC) candidate Inus Kumar Kandapan also in the fray.Last date for withdrawal of nominations is March 26.In Dibrugarh, 4-time BJP MLA and state power minister Prasanta Phukan is pitted against Mainak Patra of the Asom Jatiya Parishad (AJP) and Kamal Hazarika of the Vikas India Party in what could be a three-way contest.The Khowang seat features a high-profile battle with AJP’s Lurinjyoti Gogoi taking on BJP’s Chakradhar Gogoi, alongside JMM’s Dr Prabhakar Das and Independent candidate Biju Dowarah.In Duliajan, Rameswar Teli’s BJP candidacy will be tested by Congress’s Dhrubajyoti Gogoi, JMM’s Peter Minj and two Independent candidates — Biju Gogoi and Aruna Bora Hazarika — making it one of the most crowded contests in the district.