New Delhi/ Guwahati, March 21 -- The BJP on Saturday announced the names of two more candidates for the April 9 Assembly elections in Assam, fielding Krishna Saha from Dalgaon and Jiban Gogoi from Sissibargaon, party sources said.

With this, the saffron party has fielded its candidates for 90 seats in the 126-member Assam Assembly.

Speculations were rife that the wife of the BJP's Lakhimpur MP Pradan Baruah might be fielded from Sissibargaon for the Assembly polls. The Sissibargaon seat falls under the Lakhimpur Lok Sabha constituency.

However, Jiban Gogoi, a local leader of the party, made the cut.

The BJP is contesting the state polls in alliance with Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and Bodoland People's Front (BPF). AGP got 26 seats while the BPF got 11 in its share as a pre-poll arrangement. The remaining seats are in the BJP's share.

Both the BJP and AGP have named candidates for the Chamaria seat.

The BJP announced its first list of 88 candidates on Thursday, fielding Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma in Jalukbari, and incumbent MLA Hitendra Nath Goswami against state Congress chief Gaurav Gogoi in Jorhat.

The Cabinet ministers who have been renominated from their seats include Ajanta Neog from Golaghat, Ranoj Pegu from Dhemaji (ST), Rupesh Gowala from Doomdooma, Bimal Borah from Tingkhong, Pijush Hazarika from Jagiroad (SC), Jayanta Malla Baruah from Nalbari, Ashok Singhal from Dhekiajuli, Krishendu Paul from Patharkandi and Kaushik Rai from Lakhipur.

Pradyut Bordoloi and Bhupen Borah, who recently joined the BJP from the Congress, will contest from Dispur and Bihpuria, respectively. Among the other recent entrants to the BJP from the Congress, Sashi Kanta Das has been fielded from the Raha (SC) seat, while Kamalakhya Purkayastha has been named for the Katigorah assembly constituency. Both are incumbent MLAs.

Former AGP MLA Bhupen Roy, who recently joined the BJP, will contest from Abhayapuri.

Meanwhile, the BJP also released a list of nine candidates for the April 9 Assembly polls in Puducherry, fielding P M L Kalyanasundaram from Kalapet and G N S Rajasekaran from Thirunallar.

According to the list, A Namassivayam will contest from Mannadipet, V P Ramalingame from Rajbhavan and A Johnkumar from Mudaliarpet seats.

Embalam R Selvam will enter the fray from Manavely, T K S M Meenatchisundaram from Neravy T R Pattinam, and A Dineshan from Mahe.

E Theeppainthan will seek election from Oussudu, a Scheduled Caste reserved seat.

The ruling AINRC and the BJP-AIADMK combine on Friday reached an agreement for the Assembly polls in the Union territory, where the AINRC will contest 16 seats, and the BJP will contest the remaining 14 seats.

The arrangements were finalised after Puducherry Chief Minister and AINRC leader N Rangasamy on Friday held talks with BJP leader and Union minister Mansukh Mandaviya at a private hotel here.

The BJP, from its kitty, has allocated two seats each to the AIADMK and the Lakshia Jananayaga Katchi (LJK), AINRC sources said.

Although Rangasamy maintained all along that the LJK headed by Jose Charles Matin should not be accommodated in the NDA headed by the AINRC, the talks with the

Central minister ended in the chief minister agreeing to include the LJK in the front. 

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.