Palasbari Assembly Seat: BJP Fields Young Debutant Against AJP's Goswami

The 29 No. Palasbari Assembly constituency is gearing up for a keenly contested election as the nomination filing window closed on Monday, with candidates from the BJP, AJP, Trinamool Congress, and AAP all submitting their papers amid heightened political activity across the seat.

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The day began with a large public meeting at Chaygaon Mini Stadium, where Water Resources, Information and Public Relations Minister Pijush Hazarika attended to extend his support to BJP's Palasbari candidate Himanshu Shekhar Baishya.

The meeting drew a large turnout of BJP workers, supporters, and members of the general public — a visible demonstration of grassroots backing for the young candidate.

Following the gathering, a massive rally was taken out from Chaygaon all the way to the Office of the District Commissioner of Kamrup at Amingaon, with thousands of supporters accompanying Baishya in a show of strength.

The constituency, which has been held by the BJP-AGP alliance in recent years, has once again been allocated to the BJP by alliance partner AGP for this election — maintaining the seat-sharing arrangement that has defined NDA politics in the constituency.

Alongside BJP's Baishya, three other candidates submitted their nomination papers on Monday at the Office of the Deputy Commissioner of Kamrup election district:

• Pankaj Lochan Goswami — Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP), opposition alliance candidate

• Bikash Nath Yogi — Trinamool Congress

• Elvin Baruah — Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)

All filings took place amid tight security and enthusiastic participation by party workers.

Palasbari has a rich and shifting political past. The constituency was long considered an AGP stronghold, with senior leader Jatin Mali holding the seat as MLA from 1985 to 1996.

In 2001, riding an anti-incumbency wave, Pranab Kalita broke that hold by winning as an independent candidate. He later joined the BJP in February 2015, bringing thousands of supporters with him and helping consolidate the party's foothold in the area. The BJP has steadily strengthened its position in Palasbari since then.

For this election, the BJP has chosen to go with fresh blood, fielding Himanshu Shekhar Baishya — a young leader popular among the youth — in place of sitting MLA Hemanga Thakuria. This will be Baishya's first Assembly election contest.

The opposition has countered with Pankaj Lochan Goswami of the AJP, a leader with a long track record of public service in the constituency, setting up what could be a generational contest for the seat.