CPM & APHLC name two candidates each

Guwahati: Two Congress allies — CPM and All Party Hill Leaders Conference (APHLC) — on Monday announced two candidates each for the upcoming assembly elections.CPM will contest Bhawanipur-Sorbhog and Goreswar in lower Assam, while APHLC will field candidates from Diphu and Amri in the hill districts of Karbi Anglong and West Karbi Anglong.CPM leader Manoranjan Talukdar, the sitting MLA from Sarbhog before the seat was dissolved in delimitation, will contest from Bhawanipur-Sorbhog. The party has nominated retired teacher Bapu Ram Boro from Goreswar.The APHLC has fielded former IAS officer and party president JI Kathar from Diphu and youth leader Bikram Hanse from the newly created Amri constituency.The four constituencies are among the 15 seats the Congress left for its alliance partners when it released its second list last week.

“CPM has consistently taken a principled stance to establish a democratic and secular govt in Assam by ousting the BJP-led coalition govt. For this, unity and seat-sharing among secular parties are crucial. For the upcoming assembly elections, seat-sharing was already arranged among Congress, Assam Jatiya Parishad, CPI(M), APHLC, and CPI(ML). Accordingly, CPM announced its candidates for 2 assembly constituencies today,” said CPM state secretary Suprakash Talukdar.

The Congress-led alliance was also expected to include regional party Raijor Dal, but seat-sharing differences continue to hold up an agreement. Congress and Raijor Dal have accused each other of refusing to give up key seats needed to finalise the arrangement.Raijor Dal president Akhil Gogoi said on Monday that Congress had betrayed his party, as it did in the 2021 assembly elections.