Assam: 4 candidates with criminal cases in fray in 1st phase of Lok Sabha elections

GUWAHATI: Four candidates, including Gaurav Gogoi and Premlal Ganju from the Congress party, have criminal cases pending against them, although none have been convicted, as per affidavits submitted by them during the nomination process for the first phase of Assam Lok Sabha polls on April 19.

Apart from Gogoi and Ganju, Rishiraj Kaundinya of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) contesting from Sonitpur and Sailen Chandra Malakar from the Bharatiya Gana Parishad, vying for the Kaziranga Lok Sabha seat, also have criminal cases pending against them.

Kaundinya is accused of irregularities and corrupt practices in supply orders in various government offices, with seven cases pending against him.

Malakar faces charges of alleged criminal trespass.

The first phase of polls in Assam will witness 35 candidates competing across five Lok Sabha constituencies: Lakhimpur, Dibrugarh, Jorhat, Kaziranga, and Sonitpur.

Gaurav Gogoi, the Congress candidate from Jorhat, is implicated in a case filed at the Basistha police station for various offenses during the party's Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in Guwahati in January 2024.

Similarly, Ganju, the Congress candidate from Sonitpur, is facing charges under the Negotiable Instruments Act for dishonouring a cheque issued in 2017.

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While charges have been framed against Ganju, he has not been convicted.

Likewise, Gogoi is yet to receive any summons or have charges filed against him.

Kaundinya faces accusations of irregularities and corruption in supply orders, with cases filed against him in different police stations in Kamrup (Metro) and Sonitpur districts.

However, no charges have been brought against him in any of the cases.

Malakar, contesting from Kaziranga, has charges framed against him for criminal trespass, but he has not been convicted.

These revelations regarding candidates with pending criminal cases raise questions about their eligibility and may impact voters' decisions in the upcoming elections.