AGP in fix over candidate for Bongaigaon assembly seat

Guwahati: Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), a key ally of the BJP, is currently facing a dilemma in selecting its candidate for the upcoming bypoll to the Bongaigaon seat. However, AGP president and cabinet minister Atul Bora has dismissed rumours of dissidence within the party regarding the candidature.
Bora, along with other party leaders, recently visited Bongaigaon to conduct meetings with ticket aspirants, the district committee, and party workers.Bongaigaon, along with four other assembly seats — Sidli, Behali, Samaguri, and Dholai — will hold bypolls on Nov 13. These seats have been vacant since the previous MLAs were elected to Parliament in the last Lok Sabha elections. As per the alliance, AGP will only contest in Bongaigaon.
Several party leaders, including Sailen Sarkar and Bijoy Singha, who have dedicated decades to the party, have expressed their interest in obtaining tickets for the seat in the bypolls. Additionally, Dipti Choudhury, the wife of eight-time MLA from Bongaigaon assembly constituency and current Barpeta MP Phani Bhushan Choudhury, is also considered a strong contender for the ticket.
Bora emphasized that AGP, as a regional party, has been consistently working to strengthen its connections with the people and increase its base. He believes that a significant portion of the state’s population supports regionalism. “Bongaigaon assembly constituency is like a fort for AGP as Phani Bhushan Choudhury represented the constituency for eight consecutive times since 1983. The seat became vacant after Choudhury was elected to Parliament in the last Lok Sabha election,” he added.
The party is confident in retaining the seat, given its strong support base. Regarding Congress and other opposition parties, Bora stated that the people will reject them and support the NDA for the sake of development. “People have witnessed the progress of the state. All round development has taken place at a fast pace across the state,” he added.