Counting for Assam Assembly bypolls begin

GUWAHATI: Counting for by-elections to Silchar, Lakhipur and Jamunamukh Assembly constituencies of Assam is underway today to decide the fate of 25 contestants.

The by-election on September 13 was necessitated following the election of Silchar Congress MLA Sushmita Dev and Jamunamukh AIUDF MLA Mohammad Sirajuddin Ajmal to the Lok Sabha during the last general elections.

The death of sitting Congress MLA Dinesh Prasad Goala necessitated the by-poll in Lakhipur.

Twelve candidates were in the fray from Silchar, followed by eight contestants at Jamunamukh and five from Lakhipur respectively.

While Arun Dutta Majumdar (Congress), Dilip Kumar Paul (BJP) and Nur Ahmed Barbhuyan (AIUDF) are among the prominent contestants in Silchar, former Congress MLA Dinesh Prasad Goala's son Rajdeep Goala (Cong), Mukesh Pandey (AIUDF) and Sanjay Thakur (BJP) are notable candidates in Lakhipur.

Jamunamukh has AIUDF president Badruddin Ajmal's son Abdur Rahim Ajmal, Bashir Uddin Laskar (Cong) and Bilal Uddin (BJP) in the fray among others.