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The Dhemaji Assembly constituency in Assam is all set to go to polling on April 9 for the Legislative Assembly elections, amid a keenly contested battle.
Assam will vote in a single phase across 126 constituencies on April 9, with counting of votes scheduled for May 4. The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), comprising the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), and Bodoland People's Front (BPF), is seeking a third consecutive term in the state. The Congress-led opposition alliance, which includes Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP), Raijor Dal, Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)], CPI(ML), and other parties, aims to capitalise on anti-incumbency and reclaim power in the state. For the Dhemaji constituency, BJP has fielded sitting MLA Ranoj Pegu as their contesting candidate from the Dhemaji constituency, who will go against Congress's Sailen Sonowal. All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) candidate Narendra Kumar Paw is also in the fray. Moreover, the Voters Party International candidate Lalit Pegu, the Socialist Unity Centre for India (Communist) party candidate Lilimai Doley and the Independent candidate Babul Sonowal. Dhemaji is a Scheduled Tribe (ST) reserved seat with an agro-based economy. The constituency frequently faces challenges such as river erosion, floods from rivers like the Jiadhal, poor infrastructure, and limited employment opportunities, making development and disaster management key issues for voters. Bhartiya Janata Party has been winning the Dhemaji constituency seat for the past two terms and is aiming to conquer it for the third time. In 2021, BJP's Ranoj Pegu emerged victorious in the Assembly elections with a total of 87,681 votes. Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) candidate Chittaranjan Basumatary followed with 56,889 votes. Congress's Sailen Sonowal secured 44,832 votes. The constituency had 2,38,662 registered electors, including 1,21,492 male and 1,17,170 female voters. Dhemaji recorded a voter turnout of 81 per cent during the 2021 elections. During the 2016 Assam Assembly elections, Pradan Baruah of the BJP won with 69,592 votes, followed by Congress's Sumitra Doley Patir with 50,471 votes. Communist Party of India (Marxist) candidate Gandheswar Borah secured 3,830 votes, Liberal Democratic Party candidate Kiranban Deori obtained 2,465 votes and Lok Janshakti Party candidate Durgeswar Patir got 1,275 votes. There were a total of 2,10,865 electors in Dhemaji during the 2016 Assam Assembly elections, out of which 1,08,293 were male voters, and 1,02,572 were female. The total vote percentage remained 80.7 per cent in the Dhemaji constituency in 2016. As polling day approaches, all eyes are on whether the voters of Dhemaji will endorse continuity under the BJP-led NDA or opt for change under the opposition alliance, making the constituency one of the key battlegrounds in Assam's 2026 Assembly elections. (ANI)
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