Tinsukia: Nomination filings for the Assam Assembly elections closed on Monday with a surge in entries across Tinsukia district, where 27 candidates have entered the fray in six constituencies, ensuring a multi-cornered contests ahead of polling on April 9.
Candidates from major political parties — the BJP, Congress, Asom Jatiya Parishad (AJP), Trinamool Congress (TMC), Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), Raijor Dal and the Republican Party of India (RPI), along with several independents, filed their papers on March 23, turning each constituency into a competitive battleground shaped by strong local issues.
In the 81 Sadiya constituency, AJP’s Jagadish Bhuyan is in the race along with independents Lalit Deori, Abraham Tirkey and Dilip Borgohain. The constituency continues to grapple with recurring floods, riverbank erosion and fragile infrastructure, with the Brahmaputra displacing families and damaging farmland each year.
The Doomdooma constituency is set to witness a direct contest between BJP’s Rupesh Gowala and Congress candidate Durga Bhumij. Tea garden workers in the constituency face persistent challenges, including unemployment, wage delays, poor housing and livelihood distress, alongside long-standing flood and erosion concerns.
In Margherita, a coal-belt constituency, BJP’s Bhaskar Sarma, Raijor Dal’s Rahul Chetry and JMM’s Jarnel Minz are among the candidates. Illegal mining, labour exploitation and environmental degradation remain dominant issues, with concerns over ecological damage drawing increasing attention.
The Digboi constituency has a crowded field with BJP’s Suren Phukan, Raijor Dal-backed independent Dulal Moran, TMC’s Jiten Nag, JMM’s Bharat Nayak and other independents in the fray. Residents continue to raise concerns over industrial slowdown at the IOC refinery and recurring incidents of pollution, including gas leaks and oil spills.
Makum, going to polls for the first time as a newly carved constituency, has attracted candidates from multiple parties, including BJP’s Sanjay Kishan and Congress’s Shibnath Chetia. Issues such as rising prices, distress among small tea growers and traders, and tax-related grievances have dominated public discourse.
Tinsukia constituency recorded the highest number of nominations, with BJP’s Pulak Gohain, Congress’s David Phukan, an RPI candidate and several independents contesting. Urban unemployment and rising living costs remain key concerns in the commercial hub.
Scrutiny of nominations is scheduled for March 24, while the last date for withdrawal of candidature is March 26. Polling will be held on April 9, with counting set for May 4.
With issues ranging from erosion and mining to unemployment and environmental pollution taking centre stage, the six constituencies in Tinsukia are expected to test the grassroots connect of political parties in the run-up to the polls.