Guwahati, Oct 16: The Election Commission has announced that by-elections for five assembly constituencies in Assam will be held on November 13.

The bypolls were necessitated after the incumbent MLAs were elected to the Lok Sabha earlier this year. The seats that fell vacant include Dholai, Behali, Bongaigaon, Sidli, and Samaguri.

Dholai’s BJP MLA Parimal Suklabaidya, Behali’s BJP MLA Ranjit Dutta, AGP’s Bongaigaon MLA Phanibhushan Choudhury, and UPPL’s Sidli MLA Joyanta Basumatary were all elected to the Lok Sabha. Congress MLA Rakibul Hussain from Samaguri won the Dhubri Lok Sabha seat by a record margin.

The ruling NDA has decided on its candidates, with the BJP contesting Dholai, Behali, and Samaguri, and its allies AGP and UPPL contesting Bongaigaon and Sidli respectively.

The Congress is finalizing its strategy and candidates, with state president Bhupen Borah meeting party leaders in New Delhi.

The notification for the bypolls will be issued on October 18, and nominations can be filed until October 25. The votes will be counted on November 23.