Rohan Editor 
In a major blow to the Congress party’s electoral prospects in Upper Assam, the nomination papers of Mahananda Sarkar, the officially touted candidate for the high-stakes Lakhimpur constituency, have been cancelled during the scrutiny process. The Returning Officer passed the order late Wednesday evening, citing “significant technical discrepancies” and the non-disclosure of critical financial liabilities in the mandatory affidavit. Specifically, the rejection was reportedly triggered by a failure to provide a ‘No Dues’ certificate from a state-run cooperative bank and inconsistencies regarding the candidate’s age as mentioned in different official documents.
The cancellation has sent shockwaves through the local Congress unit, as the party now finds itself without a primary contender in a seat it had hoped to wrest back from the ruling coalition. While the Congress legal cell has moved the Gauhati High Court to stay the Election Commission’s decision, calling it a “politically motivated technicality,” the development has left the opposition scrambling for an alternative strategy. With the withdrawal deadline fast approaching, there are indications that the party may now extend support to a prominent Independent candidate or a regional ally to ensure the anti-incumbency vote remains consolidated against the BJP.
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