Correspondent
JAGIROAD, March 26: With the Assembly elections knocking at the door, the major political parties and other Independent candidates have geared up election campaigns in various areas of 79-Jagiroad LAC seat in their bid to woo the voters.
Altogether five candidates are in the fray for the 79-Jagiroad (SC) constituency, where election will be held during the second phase on April 1.
This time, the main rivals at Jagiroad LAC seat are – BJP, Assam Jatiya Parishad and the Congress. The candidates of the three parties respectively are – Pijush Hazarika, Bubul Das and Swapan Kumar Mandal.
BJP candidate Pijush Hazarika, who is also the Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, is contesting from the constituency for the second time. The other important candidate, namely Bubul Das, who was also the State Fishery minister, got the ticket as an AJP candidate. And other candidates are – Swapan Kumar Mandal (INC), Sukanta Mazumdar (Bharatiya Gana Parishad) and Independent candidate Dipak Das.
In the last Assembly election, Pijush Hazarika (BJP) defeated his nearest Congress rival Bibekananda Dalai by a margin of 28,326 votes. Hazarika secured 94,550 votes while Dalai got 66,224 votes. All India United Democratic Front candidate Putul Das secured third position and managed only 7192 votes. While All India Trinamool Congress candidate Dilip Das, Sukanta Mazumdar (Bharatiya Gana Parishad) and Independent candidate Mamoni Das got 1357, 576 and 523 votes respectively.
In 2011, Pijush Hazarika was elected on a Congress ticket from Raha constituency. In 2016, he was elected on a BJP ticket as he joined the saffron party along with a few other Congress MLAs under the leadership of Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma before the Assembly polls in 2016.
It is to be mentioned that Bubul Das, the AJP candidate started his political career in 1985 as an executive member of the Morigaon district AGP and then chairman of the SC Board. In 1991 Assembly election, AGP candidate Bubul Das defeated Congress candidate Milik Das by a margin of 1553 votes. In 1996 election, Congress candidate Doly Bora was defeated by Das by a margin of over 10,000 votes. In 2001 election, Bubul Das again defeated Congress candidate Bibekananda Dalai by a margin of over 6000 votes.
The total electorate of Jagiroad LAC is 2,37,457, out of which 1,20219 are male, 1,17,220 female and 18 third gender.
BJP-led alliance top leaders namely, Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma, Pramod Boro, etc., Congress leader and Nagaon Member of Parliament Pradyut Bordoloi, AJP leaders have been campaigning in various places under the 79-Jagiroad LAC. The leaders have appealed to the people to cast their votes in favour of their respective candidates.
