Congress to announce candidates for Assam by-polls on October 19: Bhupen Bora

Guwahati, Oct 17: The state Congress will announce its candidates for the November 13 by-polls in five Assembly constituencies on October 19.

This was informed by Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) chief Bhupen Kumar Borah on Thursday.

“Tomorrow, around noon, we will have the final meeting with the five committees of the by-poll constituencies at a city hotel. After that, in the presence of senior leader Bhanwar Jitendra Singh, we'll announce the candidates' list on October 19," Borah told the press.

As president of the state Congress, Borah appeared content with the party's progress in the build-up to the by-polls.

Expressing confidence in the work done by the in-charge leaders of the five by-poll-bound constituencies, Borah said that tomorrow's meeting would review the progress reports from Gaurav Gogoi, Ajit Singh, Rakibul Hussain, Pradyut Bordoloi, and Jakir Hussain Sikdar.

"As APCC president, I am very happy with the work done by these leaders in the five by-poll-bound constituencies. They have connected with people at the grassroots level and held close discussions with them. So, yes, I am pleased with the reports," he said.

However, Borah expressed concerns about the alleged culture of violence in Assam's elections. Referring to the recent case of violence and vandalism in the by-poll-bound Samaguri constituency, the APCC chief said that the new trend in the state's elections is one of violence.

Without naming any party, Borah said, "Certain forces have been conspiring to give a communal colour to everything. In fact, they haven’t even spared the colour of floods in the state. So, it’s not surprising that incidents of violence are being reported ahead of the elections."