Assam: Congress announces candidate for Lakhimpur Lok Sabha seat

Guwahati: The Congress has announced candidate for the Lakhimpur Lok Sabha seat in Assam.

The grand old party on Saturday named Uday Shankar Hazarika as its candidate for the Lakhimpur Lok Sabha constituency

Hazarika had left the ruling BJP a few months ago and joined the Congress.

He is expected to be in a straight fight with incumbent two-term BJP MP Pradan Baruah. Lakhimpur constituency will go to the polls in the first phase on April 19.

The Congress is contesting 13 out of the 14 seats in Assam, and though the party announced candidates in 12 seats on March 12, the nominee for Lakhimpur was not declared.

The Congress is supporting the Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) candidate Lurinjyoti Gogoi in Diburgarh.

The Congress has three MPs from the state in the outgoing Lok Sabha, while the BJP has nine, and one seat each is held by the AIUDF and an Independent