Former Rajya Sabha MP Kumar Deepak Das will be the AGP candidate for the Barpeta Lok Sabha constituency.

The regional party also named former Independent MLA Zabed Islam as its candidate for the Dhubri seat.

The names were announced by AGP general secretary and MLA Ramendra Narayan Kalita late on Friday night.

He said the names were finalised at a meeting of the party’s committee for formulating strategy for the Lok Sabha polls held at the official residence of party president and agriculture minister Atul Bora in Dispur.

AGP has also fielded Moni Madhab Mahanta, a fomer AASU leader and brother of Assam water resources minister Keshab Mahanta, from the Kaliabor seat.

According to the seat-sharing agreement with the BJP, the AGP will contest three out of the 14 Lok Sabha seats in Assam.

Das said he would be contesting this election on the development plank since Barpeta is a “backward constituency that lacks industrial development and communication facilities”.

Das said he was opposed to the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019, which is related to the existence of the Assamese people, but did not want to make it a political issue.

Kalita said though the AGP had joined hands with the BJP, it would continue to oppose the bill.

The AGP and the BJP leaders are jointly addressing poll rallies across the state.

Zabed Islam The Telegraph picture

However, former chief minister and AGP legislator Prafulla Kumar Mahanta had opposed the alliance with the BJP and has been staying away from campaigning since the BJP supports the bill. Mahanta has appealed to the people to vote for candidates who oppose the bill.

Barpeta will witness a triangular contest between the AIUDF, the Congress and the AGP.

The Congress has fielded Abdul Khaleque and the AIUDF has nominated Hafiz Rafiqul Islam from Barpeta.

For the Dhubri seat, Badruddin Ajmal will be the AIUDF candidate, while Abu Taher Bepari will be the Congress nominee.