Sarupathar and Bokakhat set to witness high-voltage multi-cornered poll battles

CORRESPONDENTS

GOLAGHAT/BOKAKHAT: Election campaigning has intensified in both Sarupathar and Bokakhat Assembly constituencies of Golaghat district, with the ruling and opposition parties going all out ahead of the polls.

The Opposition Unity Forum-backed Raijor Dal candidate Hari Prasad Saikia has been actively campaigning across villages, tea gardens, and urban areas. Several senior leaders from Congress and allied parties, including Lakshyaprasad Saikia, Dharmeswar Kurmi, Utpal Doley, Jitu Hazarika, Simanta Saikia, Biju Pegu, Jitu Saikia, Parag Saikia, Bimal Doley, Ratan Dao, Jiban Chandra Bora, Ridip Bhushan Nath, Pinku Saikia, Jumaddin Khan, and Arindam Bori-have been seen conducting extensive marathon campaign efforts in support of Hari Prasad Saikia.

Raijor Dal president and Sivasagar MLA Akhil Gogoi, while addressing a gathering at Konkolota Bibah Bhawan in Bokakhat, appealed to voters to elect local candidate Hariprasad Saikia with a decisive margin.

Meanwhile, in the 107 No. Sarupathar constituency, where the Chutia community forms a significant voter base, is witnessing strong campaigning in favour of Opposition Unity Forum-backed Assam Jatiya Parishad candidate Jiban Chutia.

Golaghat District Congress spokesperson Diganta Bailung stated that Jiban Chutia was emerging as a strong candidate in Sarupathar and is gaining public support. Regarding Bokakhat, he noted that Hari Prasad Saikia's strong grassroots connection with voters was contributing significantly to his growing popularity.

Meanwhile, former MLA Jiten Gogoi is contesting as an independent candidate for the second time. He has been actively campaigning across villages, organizing bike and car rallies and holding public meetings to connect with voters. In his manifesto, he emphasized 'work is our religion' and stated that creating employment opportunities and achieving self-reliance are his key goals. He also promised to continue his efforts to solve the problems of Bokakhat residents.

Another independent candidate, Pranab Doley, is also in the fray. Notably, in the previous assembly election, Doley secured around 27,405 votes and finished second, although he had Congress's support in the last election. However, some of his supporters are actively engaged in campaigning.

Other candidates, including Vivekananda Rajowar, are campaigning in tea garden areas, highlighting issues faced by tea workers. Similarly, Hemanta Doley is also actively campaigning. It remains to be seen how these candidates will challenge a strong and influential contender like Atul Bora.

The Bokakhat constituency has a total of 164,668 voters, including 79,959 male voters and 84,665 female voters. Tea tribe voters have traditionally played a decisive role. Although Vivekananda Rajowar represents the tea community, he is not well known among voters in the constituency. Tea tribe voters were once largely aligned with Congress, but with the rise of the BJP, that support has eroded. Still, a section of the tea community voters continues to support Congress through the Tea Labour Association.

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