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Battlelines almost drawn in Diphu Autonomous District

By Correspondent

DIPHU, March 17 - Battlelines for the Diphu Autonomous District constituency are almost drawn, according to inputs received from sources of various political parties today for the ensuing Lok Sabha election.

In all probability, Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council�s Executive Member Horensing Bey will contest on a BJP ticket overriding the aspirations of Joyram Engleng, the sitting MLA of Howraghat who was the BJP nominee in 2014 election, Bidyasing Engleng, former MLA of Diphu who had recently joined the BJP from the Congress. BJP state body and former Karbi Anglong district BJP president Lonki Phangcho, a retired IAS officer and Dr Mansing Rongpi, the sitting MLA of Baithalangso who is widely known for his educational services and as an outstanding doctor.

The heavyweight ASDC (Autonomous State Demand Committee) leader and former minister in the Prafulla Mahanta Cabinet Holiram Terang, in all probability will contest as the party candidate, while as predicted earlier, senior leader of Assam Pradesh Congress Committee and sitting Congress MP of Diphu Autonomous Districts constituency Birensing Engti will be the Congress candidate. Basically, there will be a triangular contest between the regional force ASDC, the Congress and the BJP. However, some independent and regional party candidates may also plunge into the fray.

Although none of the parties has made any formal announcement in this regard, but highly-placed sources have confirmed the names of the candidates. According to ground reports, the Congress will bank on its traditional vote and on the popularity of the sitting MP who has held the ground for a long period amid the meteoric rise of the BJP. The regional party ASDC in spite of being far removed from power since the last decade, still has a strong base in all the three autonomous hill districts of Assam which constitute the electorate.

In the present political context, the BJP with five sitting MLAs, both the Autonomous Councils and every urban local self administrative body under its fold is surely miles ahead of both the Congress and the ASDC. Nevertheless, it is expected that both the national and regional parties will present a strong challenge at the hustings.

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