BATTLELINES DRAWN IN ASSAM POLL ARENA

THE stakes will be high for the BJP and its allies when Assam goes to the third and final phase of parliamentary elections on May 7.

- PRASANTA MAZUMDAR

The polls will be held in the four seats of Guwahati, Barpeta, Kokrajhar and Dhubri. Currently, Guwahati is with the BJP, Barpeta with the Congress, Kokrajhar with an independent and Dhubri with the minority based All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF).

The BJP is contesting in Guwahati, Its ally Asom Gana Parishad in Dhubri and Barpeta while another ally United People's Party Liberal is contesting in Kokrajhar. The battle is expected to be tough in Guwahati and Dhubri. In Guwahati, two women - Bijuli Kalita Medhi of the BJP and Mira Borthakur Goswami of Congress are in the fray.

Goswami is a firebrand leader who was with the BJP until being expelled in 2018. Ever since, she has been a strong critic of the saffron party. Medhi is relatively lesser known among voters, but she has the advantage of being the ruling party candidate.