DIBRUGARH, Feb 3 � Altogether 76 candidates are in the fray for the Dibrugarh Municipal Board (DMB) election after the withdrawal of nomination papers by three Independent candidates yesterday and the rejection of one nomination.
The candidates, who withdrew their nominations, include Juri Gogoi from Ward No. 1, Sahidur Rahman from Ward No. 7 and Rakesh Kumar Kathiat from Ward No. 15. The nomination of Ward No. 20 candidate Kamal Sarkar was rejected after scrutiny.
Meanwhile, the BJP and the Congress have opened their election offices on the footpaths and roadsides here, though the district administration has allegedly ignored the blatant violation of the code of conduct. The encroachments have severely impeded pedestrian and traffic movement. There is already an unprecedented encroachment on public space here with the administration doing nothing in the matter.
With the municipal election slated for February 9, candidates have taken to intense campaigning in the 22 municipal wards here. The BJP, fraught with inner dissidence and allegations of corruption against some leaders, has allegedly been spending a lot of money in the campaign. The Congress and AGP candidates are also putting up a fight, but the citizens here are betting on Independents in a few of the wards.
