Guwahati, March 29 -- A high-stakes, three-cornered contest has emerged in Dispur after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s surprise candidate switch triggered rebellion within its ranks, setting up a fierce battle in Assam's capital seat.

Until last week, the contest was expected to be between Atul Bora, the sitting MLA from the BJP, and Mira Borthakur Goswami, a former BJP leader who joined the Congress in 2021.

However, that changed on March 19 when the BJP released its list of candidates for next month's Assam assembly polls. Pradyut Bordoloi, a Congress MP who had joined the saffron party just a day earlier, was given the ticket for Dispur.

This upset Bora, who has represented the Dispur seat five times since 1985-thrice as an Asom...