Guwahati, Oct 24: The Congress party has announced Jayanta Bora, a former BJP leader, as its candidate for the upcoming by-election in Assam’s Behali constituency.

Bora recently resigned from the BJP after being denied a party ticket and is expected to formally join the Congress. The decision has sparked controversy within the 16-party opposition alliance, Asom Sonmilito Morcha (ASOM), as the Behali seat was initially allocated to the CPI(ML) Liberation.

The by-election, scheduled for November 13, will also take place in Dholai, Sidli, Bongaigaon, and Samaguri constituencies. The Congress has announced candidates for these seats: Tanzil Hussain for Samaguri, Dhrubajyoti Purakayastha for Dholai, Sanjib Warle for Sidli, and Brajenjit Sinha for Bongaigaon.

State Congress chief Bhupen Kumar Borah resigned as ASOM president on Tuesday, citing “tremendous pressure” after the Congress high command refused to accept the united opposition’s nominee for Behali. The BJP-AGP-UPPL combine held four of the constituencies, while the Congress held one.