Assam elections 2021: Patacharkuchi constituency set for an interesting triangular battle

Assam is all set for a mighty battle this time with the BJP trying to retain its first north-eastern fort and the Congress leaving no stone unturned to return to power in the state. The Congress has even joined hands with Badruddin Azmal’s All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF), which late Congress leader and former CM Tarun Gogoi had refused to recognise once. The BJP has also joined hands with some regional parties to maintain a balance in this poll.

The saffron party has also made some changes in seat allocation which has resulted in some interesting contests. One of such constituencies is Patacharkuchi. The Assembly constituency in the Bajali district of Assam will go to the polls on April 6 – in the third and final phase. It is a part of the Barpeta Lok Sabha constituency, which comes under the Lower Assam region.

The BJP has fielded its state president Ranjeet Kumar Dass from Patacharkuchi. Dass had won the last two elections from the Sorbhog assembly seat in the Barpeta district. Dass’s candidature from Patacharkuchi has made it a centre of attraction for voters as well as for political analysts. Dass is facing stiff competition from the Working President of Assam Jatiya Parishad Pabindra Deka and Congress candidate Santanu Sarma. Pabindra Deka had won from the constituency in 2016 by a margin of over 50 thousand votes when he had contested on the Asom Gana Parishad ticket. He had defeated Sailen Kalita of INC by a margin of 51,976 votes. In the 2011 Assembly polls, Manoranjan Das of BJP had won from the constituency.

There are 1.36 lakh voters in the Patacharkuchi assembly constituency.

While an interesting political battle has put focus on Patacharkuchi, the constituency is otherwise known for quality education and art and culture. Patacharkuchi got its name from Patshar kuchi or king’s place and it was the administrative center of the Bajali Pargana for a long time. Notably, it’s the destination of Patacharkuchi Vidyapith, one of the oldest Higher Secondary Schools established in 1935. The constituency got a girls high school as early as 1965. Patacharkuchi is strategically placed on the bank of river Kaldia.