Sivasagar, Oct 26: The value of assets owned by BJP candidate for Assam's Thowra constituency in the upcoming bypoll, Sushanta Borgohain, who switched from Congress to the ruling party, have increased by nearly 13 per cent within just six months.
Since March, when Borgohain had contested and won as a Congress MLA in the Assam Assembly elections, the asset value of his entire family has risen almost 10 per cent, the affidavits filed for the elections showed.
Comparing the two affidavits filed in March and October, the total worth of assets and properties directly owned by the two-time Congress MLA, now a BJP candidate, has increased to Rs 1.93 crore from Rs 1.69 crore, a rise of 12.81 per cent.
Considering his wife and other family members' incomes, the net assets of his immediate family soared to Rs 2.64 crore in October, a 9.98 per cent increase from Rs 2.38 crore in March.
During this period, properties registered under his wife's name increased by 2.12 per cent to Rs 69.10 lakh from Rs 67.64 lakh, documents with the Election Commission showed.
Out of the total assets at present, Borgohain personally owns Rs 37.30 lakh worth of movable items and Rs 1.56 crore of immovable properties, including non-agriculture land and residential complexes.
The newly inducted BJP leader also has a .32 pistol, worth Rs 56,936, his affidavit showed.
Borgohain, who had first become the MLA from Thowra constituency in Sivasagar district in 2011, resigned from Congress on July 30 this year citing "changed internal political atmosphere" within the party. He later joined the BJP.
He lost in 2016, but won the 2021 Assembly polls from Thowra defeating incumbent BJP MLA Kushal Dowari by 2,006 votes.
In the upcoming bypoll, Thowra is expected to witness a triangular contest between Borgohain, Congress candidate Monuranjan Konwar and Raijor Dal's Dhaijya Konwar, who is contesting as an Independent.
While Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma is the star campaigner for Borgohain and is carrying out an aggressive publicity drive for his old Congress colleague, rights activist and MLA Akhil Gogoi has stationed himself at Thowra for Dhaijya Konwar.
The BJP is stealing the limelight with a series of well-attended public meetings, but Raijor Dal is holding small corner gatherings at various villages and tea gardens of the Upper Assam constituency.
Senior Congress leaders, including its National General Secretary Jitendra Singh, are trying to woo voters for their candidate Monuranjan Konwar.
By-elections in Assam will take place in Thowra, Mariani, Bhabanipur, Tamulpur and Gossaigaon constituencies on October 30. The counting of votes will take place on November 2 for all the seats.
The Majuli seat is also vacant, but a poll will not be held this time as its representative, Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, resigned from the Assembly just hours after the poll schedule was announced by the Election Commission.
