AGP comes out with first list of candidates for Assam polls

GUWAHATI: Asom Gana Parishad, BJP's Assam Assembly election ally, today announced the first list of its 25 candidates for the hustings including the names of former chief minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta, former ministers and its president Atul Bora.

The regional party will also be announcing shortly the names of other candidates in those constituencies where it will have friendly contests with the BJP, AGP president Atul Bora told reporters here.

Among the 25 contestants are former two-time chief minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta (Barhampur), ex-ministers Brindaban Goswami (Tezpur), Renupama Rajkhowa (Teok), Pradeep Hazarika (Amguri), Pabindra Deka (Patacharkuchi), Dr Kamala Kanta Kalita (Chaygaon), Ramendra Narayan Kalita (Guwahati West), Bora said.

The others in the list include sitting MLAs Binod Gowala (Sarupathar), Utpal Dutta (Lakhimpur), Prabin Hazarika (Bwiswanath), Phani Bhusan Choudhury (Bongaigaon), Bhupen Rai (Abhayapuri-North), Mukundaram Choudhury (Kalaigaon), Kesab Mahanta (Kaliabor).

Besides party president Atul Bora (Bokakhat), the others are Bhabendra Nath Bharali (Dergaon-SC), Naren Sonowal (Naharkatia), Dr Ali Azam Sheikh (Bilasipara-East), Rabin Banikya (Abhayapuri-South), Gunindra Nath Das (Barpeta), Jyotiprasad Das (Boko-SC), Satyabrata Kalita (Kamalpur), Habibur Rahman (Dalgaon), Ranjit Deka (Lahorighat) and Ziauddin Ahmed (Jamunamukh).