Assam polls: BJP declares candidate list, CM Sonowal, Himanta Biswa Sarma among 70 named

Guwahati: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) announced the list of candidates who will contest for the party in Assam's upcoming assembly elections.

In a press conference, the party's National General Secretary Arun Singh said that candidates for 70 seats are being named out of the 126 seats in Assam Assembly. As many as 26 seats have been given to Asom Gana Parishad and eight seats to United People's Party Liberal (UPPL). 

Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal will contest from Majuli and senior minister Himanta Biswa Sarma from Jalukbari, the constituencies that they represent currently.

The list includes 11 Scheduled Tribe candidates, 4 Scheduled Caste candidates while 11 sitting MLAs have not been named in the forthcoming polls.

In 2016, BJP had routed Congress by winning 86 seats against the 26 seats won by the grand old party. Though, recently BJP ally Bodoland People's Front (BPF) decided to join the Congress-led opposition alliance. The opposition parties in Assam; Congress, BPF, AGM, AIUDF, CPI, CPI(M) and CPI(ML) have joined hands.

The assembly poll in the state will be conducted in three phases on March 27, April 1 and April 6 the results will be declared on May 2. While Majuli will go to polls on March 27 in the first phase, Jalukbari will be polled in the third phase and last phase on April 6.

Meanwhile, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee announced that she will be contesting the Assembly election from Nandigram and said that the TMC will field 291 candidates in the polls.

On the other hand, AIADMK announced its first list of six names with both Tamil Nadu CM Edappadi K Palaniswami and his deputy O Panneerselvam being named in the list from Edapaddi and Bodinayakanur, respectively.