Assam: Cong names ex-BJP leader as by-poll candidate amid fissures in opposition unity

Bora recently resigned from the BJP after being denied a party ticket and is likely to join the Congress later on Thursday.

A statement issued by AICC general secretary KC Venugopal on Wednesday named Bora as the party's official candidate for the Behali constituency.

The announcement comes amid a major row in the 16-party opposition alliance in the state, Asom Sonmilito Morcha (ASOM), over that seat.

According to understanding in the ASOM, four of the five seats going to by-polls were to be contested by the Congress and Behali would go to CPI(ML) Libertaion.

However, a section of local Congress leaders in the Biswanath district opposed the decision and wanted to have their own candidate. They had sought Dilip Kumar Baruah or Premlal Ganju as the party's nominee.

A five-member committee formed by the opposition bloc had refused to reconsider the decision to field a CPI(ML)L candidate from Behali and demanded immediate confirmation from AICC.

State Congress chief Bhupen Kumar Borah had on Tuesday night resigned as the president of ASOM expressing "tremendous pressure" after the Congress high command refused to accept the united opposition's nominee Bibek Das of the CPI(ML)L.

Several Congress leaders confirmed to PTI that party MP Gaurav Gogoi was in favour of giving the Behali ticket to Jayanta Bora.

Bypoll will take place on November 13 in Dholai (SC), Sidli (ST), Bongaigaon, Behali, and Samaguri assembly constituencies as these seats fell vacant with the representatives of these seats winning the recent Lok Sabha elections.

The Congress will field Tanzil Hussain from Samaguri, Dhrubajyoti Purakayastha from Dholai, Sanjib Warle from Sidli, and Brajenjit Sinha from Bongaigaon.

The BJP-AGP-UPPL combine had held four of the constituencies that are going for the by-polls, while one was held by Congress.