GUWAHATI, March 19 � Several high-profile Congress candidates filed their nomination papers for the ensuing Lok Sabha elections today. Our correspondents report:
Tezpur: Bhupen Bora, who will contest the Tezpur Lok Sabha seat in the ensuing Parliamentary polls, slated for April 7, on a Congress ticket, filed his nomination papers on Wednesday before Sonitpur DC Lalit Gogoi, who is also the Returning Officer for the polls. He was accompanied by ex-Education Minister Ripun Bora, Gohpur MLA Monika Bora, Dhekiajuli MLA Habul Chakrabarty and Tezpur MLA Rajen Barthakur.
Earlier, Bora addressed an election rally at Joimati Pathar where APCC president and Rajya Sabha MP Bhubaneswar Kalita campaigned for him. Calling for the all-round development of the north bank region, Bora sought to play down the challenge posed by the AGP, BJP, AIUDF and Independent candidate Mani Kumar Subba.
The election rally was attended by about 2,000 Congress workers. Local MLA Rajen Barthakur, Gohpur MLA Monika Bora, ex-Education Minister Ripun Bora, minister Tanka Bahadur Rai, Dhekiajuli MLA Habul Chakrabarty and many APCC office-bearers were also present on the occasion.
Meanwhile, BPF workers burnt the effigy of Bhupen Bora in Gohpur town in protest against his reported comments against Hagrama Mohilary. The Sonitpur district committee of the All Adivasi Students� Association of Assam (AASAA) has decided not to side with any political party in the run-up to the ensuing Parliamentary polls.
In another development, at a press conference held at the Rajiv Bhawan here, APCC spokesman Mehdi Alom Bora said that the party would take action against Mani Kumar Subba if he files nomination as an Independent candidate from the Tezpur HPC.
Nagaon: Gaurav Gogoi, Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi�s son, filed his nomination for the Kaliabor Parliamentary seat on Wednesday. Gaurav was accompanied to the office of the DC, Nagaon, by his mother, Dolly Gogoi, wife Elizabeth Colebourn Gogoi, ministers Rockybul Hussain and Ajanta Neog, MLAs Gautam Bora, Bismita Gogoi, Arun Phukan and other leaders of the Congress party. �Gayan bayan� and cultural troupes also took part in the procession where Gaurav Gogoi�s supporters carried placards and banners.
Former MLA Jiten Gogoi and Arup Kumar Mahanta also filed their nomination papers for the Kaliabor seat as an Independent and the CPML candidate respectively on Wednesday. On March 18, one Binod Gogoi had filed his papers as an Independent candidate for the Kaliabor seat. The last date for filing nomination papers for this seat is March 21 and the scrutiny will be held on March 22.
Jorhat: Accompanied by thousands of their party workers and supporters, former DoNER Minister BK Handique, Drupad Borgohain and Pradip Hazarika on Wednesday filed their nomination papers for the Jorhat Lok Sabha constituency, representing the Congress, CPI and AGP respectively.
Handique, who has represented the constituency for six consecutive terms, claimed that he would again win the election in Jorhat as �the Modi magic will not work here.�
�The AGP may be considered a better competitor than the BJP here,� said Handique. According to him, the people will vote for the Congress for development.
