Assam bypolls: BJP, Cong stick to local leadership for campaign; AAP names top national leaders

Guwahati, Oct 26 (PTI) The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Saturday said that its top national leaders, including Arvind Kejriwal, Atishi and Bhagwant Mann, will be campaigning in the Assam by-elections even as other major national parties in the contest, BJP and Congress, are mostly sticking with their state leaders.

By-elections will be held in Dholai (SC), Sidli (ST), Bongaigaon, Behali and Samaguri assembly constituencies in Assam as these seats fell vacant with the representatives winning the recent Lok Sabha elections.

A BJP spokesperson said the party's bypoll campaign will be led by its state leadership, including Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and state party president Bhabesh Kalita.

"Since it is a by-election, our campaign will be helmed by the local leadership. Besides the chief minister and party president, the state ministers, MLAs, MPs and other leaders are already in full campaign mode," he said.

The saffron party is contesting three seats, leaving one constituency each for its allies AGP and UPPL.

The Congress's list of 40 star campaigners mostly comprises state leaders including party chief Bhupen Kumar Borah, Leader of Opposition in the assembly Debabrata Saikia, its MPs and MLAs.

It also has the names of Jitendra Singh and Prithviraj Sathe, the two All India Congress Committee leaders in-charge of the state unit.

The chief opposition party has fielded candidates in all the five constituencies.

The AAP has named 28 national leaders in its list of 40 star campaigners for the state.

Among them are AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal, Delhi Chief Minister Atishi, her Punjab counterpart Bhagwant Mann, former Delhi deputy CM Manish Sisodia and ex-cricketer and Rajya Sabha MP Harbhajan Singh.

The remaining 12 names in the list comprise of the local leadership, with the party fielding nominees in two seats.

Of the five constituencies going to the bypolls on November 13, four were held by the BJP-AGP-UPPL combine and one by Congress. PTI SSG SSG ACD