Guwahati: The Congress on Monday named former Batadrava MLA Sibamoni Bora as its candidate for the upcoming Nagaon Lok Sabha bypoll, ending speculation over the party’s nominee.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge approved Bora’s candidature for the by-election to the 9-Nagaon Parliamentary Constituency of Assam, the party said in a statement.
“The Congress President, Shri Mallikarjun Kharge, has approved the candidature of Smt. Sibamoni Bora, Ex-MLA, as party candidate to contest the ensuing byelection to the Lok Sabha from 9-Nagaon Parliamentary Constituency of Assam,” the statement said.
The announcement came a day after Congress Assam in-charge and former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel held a marathon meeting with the party’s Assam unit at Rajiv Bhawan in Guwahati.
With Bora’s candidature now confirmed, the Nagaon bypoll is set for a four-cornered contest involving the Congress, BJP, All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) and Trinamool Congress (TMC).
The TMC entered the contest a day after the Election Commission announced the bypoll schedule, naming Dhing College vice-principal Prof Abdul Salam as its candidate.
The BJP has fielded former Nagaon Deputy Commissioner Devashish Sharma for the seat.
The Nagaon bypoll has emerged as a closely watched electoral contest, with the deadline for filing nominations set for September 16.
The election is expected to witness a keen contest among the four major contenders as political parties intensify their preparations ahead of the polling process.