Guwahati, March 26 -- At least 67 candidates, including a legislator who recently switched from the All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) to the National People's Party (NPP) prior to filing nominations, withdrew from the fray on Thursday for the upcoming Assam assembly elections, bringing the total number of contestants down to 722, officials said.

Aminul Islam, who won from the Mankachar seat in 2021 on an AIUDF ticket, had switched to the NPP after being denied a ticket. But on Thursday, the 50-year-old withdrew his nomination papers, according to the Election Commission (EC).

A total of 815 candidates had filed 1,389 nomination papers across 126 constituencies in the state. Following scrutiny, 789 candidates were found eligible ...