Minister Ashok Singhal campaigns for BJP candidates in Dibrugarh

A CORRESPONDENT

DIBRUGARH: State Irrigation, Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Ashok Singhal on Thursday joined the municipal election campaigning in Dibrugarh.

The minister attending election campaign meetings for Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidates in various wards of Dibrugarh Municipal Board. He attended the first meeting in New Market in ward no.11 of the town and participated in a road show.

Singhal attended the first meeting for Ujjal Phukan, who is contesting from ward no 11. Ujjal Phukan is contesting in the municipal elections for the first time.

While speaking at the meeting, Ashok Singhal said, "The BJP has brought development in Assam in the last several years. After we formed government under the leadership of Sarbananda Sonowal in Assam, the development work started. Our party is committed to work for the all-round development of the State."

"In the last Assembly elections, BJP had won majority seats and formed government under the leadership of Himanta Biswa Sarma and since then we are working hard to develop Assam into the most developed state in India," Singhal asserted. Singhal further said, "Out of 22 wards, we will win the maximum seats in Dibrugarh Municipal elections. Congress is nowhere in the elections."

Ujjal Phukan will contest against Sandeep Garodia (INC), Kailash Kumar Bagaria (AAP), Chetan Murarka (IND), Kamlesh Verma (IND), Rakesh Kumar Shah (IND). The 11 no.ward is dominated by Hindi-speaking people with 2,857 voters.

Ujjal Phukan was a former AASU leader and close associate of Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal. He joined the BJP after Sarbananda Sonowal stepped down from AGP and joined the saffron party.

"There is a cold war going on between Dibrugarh MLA Prasanta Phukan and Ujjal Phukan. The independent candidates who are contesting the elections from ward no 11 are backed by Prasanta Phukan," said a source from BJP.

BJP has been sending top leaders for campaigning in the municipal elections. The party is not taking any chances and fighting the civic polls in Assam with full force. BJP candidate Gautam Dutta won uncontested from ward no 1 after the lone rival candidate Dinendra Nath Sakia from the Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) withdrew his nomination. Along with the AJP candidate, the five candidates who withdrew their papers were independents Atish Chandra Bagchi, Paltu Das (both ward no 4), Daniya Ahmed (ward no 10), Arun Kumar Jain (ward no 11) and Asish Sengupta (ward no 14).

The BJP has put up candidates in all the 22 seats while the INC is contesting in 19 seats. The Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) is contesting in 9 seats followed by Aam Admi Party (AAP) in 7 seats and Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) in 4 seats. The Dibrugarh Muncipal Board has the largest electorate with 1,17,690 voters in its 22 wards. There will be 129 polling stations in Dibrugarh.

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