The third and final phase of polling in Assam on Tuesday is set to witness a keen contest between Opposition parties in Dhubri and Barpeta parliamentary seats.
Guwahati and Kokrajhar are the other two seats which go to the polls on the morrow.
The contest in Dhubri seat will see AIUDF chief Badruddin Ajmal vying for a fourth straight term in a triangular contest involving Congress veteran Rakibul Hussain and AGP’s Zabed Islam, trying his luck for the second time.
The AGP, part of the ruling alliance led by the BJP, is also contesting the Barpeta seat.
Though Dhubri has remained with the Ajmal since 2009, a party which espouses the cause of the minorities and the marginalised, the delimitation of constituencies in 2023, the “growing” perception among voters about the AIUDF chief’s “proximity” with the ruling BJP, the strong challenge mounted by the Congress’ Hussain have made Ajmal sweat a more than before.
The other seat which has garnered attention is Barpeta where both the CPM and the Congress, part of the INDIA bloc, and also part of the United Opposition Forum, Assam, are contesting, making the job of the veteran AGP MLA, Phanibhushan Choudhury easy.
Bismoi Das, a lawyer in Barpeta, said: “It was a sure Opposition seat had only the CPM or the Congress contested but now there is a lot of confusion among Opposition supporters.”
The CPM and the Congress are working together in other seats but were not able to reach an understanding in Barpeta, which was won by the Congress in 2019.
“Both Dhubri and Barpeta have turned into a battle between the Opposition but we have to keep an eye on the future,” admitted a Congress insider, still hoping they are in with a chance as their “pro-people manifesto” is finding takers across India.