Guwahati, Mar 24: The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Tuesday rejected the nominations of three Congress candidates in Assam, including from Jalukbari—the constituency where Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma is contesting in the upcoming Assembly elections.
By 4:30 PM, scrutiny of nomination papers had led to 18 cancellations, with the process still ongoing. According to the ECI website, the rejected Congress nominees are Bidisha Neog from Jalukbari, Ananda Narah from Dhakuakhana (currently held by BJP’s former minister Naba Kumar Doley), and Nirmal Langthasa from Haflong. The Election Commission did not specify reasons for the rejections.
In Haflong, BJP cabinet minister Nandita Garlosa had her nomination accepted as a Congress candidate. She switched to the opposition party late Sunday and filed her nomination the following day.
Other rejections included three candidates each from Jharkhand Mukti Morcha and Voters Party International, one each from SUCI (Communist) and Apni Janta Party, and eight Independents.
A total of 815 candidates submitted 1,389 nomination papers for the 126-member Assam Assembly. Polling is scheduled for April 9, with results to be declared on May 4. The last date for withdrawals is March 26.
