Dibrugarh: The political heat in upper Assam intensified on Friday as a host of prominent candidates, including four-time Dibrugarh legislator and state power minister Prasanta Phukan, filed their nomination papers at the Dibrugarh district commissioner’s office.Accompanied by a massive procession, the 71-year-old Phukan, a BJP stalwart, filed his papers with visible confidence, aiming for a record fifth consecutive term from Dibrugarh.Having first captured the seat in 2006 by a razor-thin margin of 175 votes, Phukan has since dominated the constituency, winning by 38,005 votes in the 2021 election, a record he is keen to surpass. “Looking at the ground reality and the work our govt has done, I am confident of winning by a massive margin this time,” Phukan said after filing his nomination.The day also saw high-profile nomination filings from opposition camps with Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) president Lurinjyoti Gogoi, a prominent face of the anti-CAA movement, filing his papers for the newly-formed Khowang seat. Gogoi, who contested from two seats during the last election, albeit without much success, is hoping to translate his grassroots appeal into electoral success this time.Pranjal Ghatowar, son of former Union Minister Paban Singh Ghatowar, also, filed his nomination for the Chabua-Lahowal seat on a Congress ticket. Ghatowar had lost from the now-abolished Moran seat in the last election.Former Congress minister and four-time MLA Pranati Phukan filed her nomination for the Naharkatia seat, seeking a political comeback after losses in the 2016 and 2021 elections.
