In the lead-up to the first phase of Assam Lok Sabha polls scheduled for April 19, scrutiny reveals that four candidates, including Congress nominees Gaurav Gogoi and Premlal Ganju, have criminal cases pending against them.
The affidavits submitted by the candidates at the time of filing nomination papers reportedly disclosed these legal entanglements, although none of the candidates have been convicted thus far.
Gogoi, who currently serves as the Congress deputy leader in the outgoing Lok Sabha and is contesting from the Jorhat seat, faces charges stemming from an incident during the party’s Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in Guwahati on January 23, 2024, as informed.
The case against him, filed at the Basistha police station in Kamrup (Metro) district, reportedly includes allegations of disobedience to a legal order, violation of permission, obstruction of government servants, and assault on government servants.
However, Gogoi maintains that he has not received any summons or had charges framed against him.
Meanwhile, Ganju, the Congress candidate from Sonitpur, is implicated in a case registered in the Chief Judicial Magistrate’s Court in Biswanath under the Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881, as reported.
The charges against him relate to the dishonoring of a cheque issued in 2017, amounting to Rs 9,50,000.
Although charges were framed in 2018, Ganju has not been convicted.
Additionally, Rishiraj Kaundinya, representing the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Sonitpur, faces allegations of irregularities and corrupt practices in supply orders within various government offices.
Kaundinya is reportedly entangled in seven cases across different police stations, including Dispur, Chandmari, and Tezpur, on charges related to his alleged involvement in irregularities and corruption.
However, no charges have been filed against him in any of these cases.
Lastly, Sailen Chandra Malakar, the Bharatiya Gana Parishad candidate contesting from the Kaziranga Lok Sabha seat, has a case pending against him in the Hojai police station for alleged criminal trespass.
Charges have been framed, yet Malakar has not faced conviction.
As Assam gears up for the first phase of polling encompassing the constituencies of Lakhimpur, Dibrugarh, Jorhat, Kaziranga, and Sonitpur, the revelation of these legal issues adds complexity to an already intense electoral landscape.
