Three candidate names were announced by the Assam BJP on Wednesday, for the second phase. The total number of contestants for the first two phases of assembly elections in Assam is 74 now.

Sitting BJP MLA from Hojai, Shiladitya Dev was not given a ticket and was replaced by Ramakrishna Ghosh.

The Hojai MLA took to his Facebook page and wrote, “Finally, I have been kicked out of BJP”.

Sitting BJP MLA from Sipajhar, Binanda Saikia was also not given a ticket. Former Assam Sahitya Sabha president Parmananda Rajbongshi joined the BJP recently from the AGP, and fielded from the seat in Darrang district.

Instead of Soumyajit Dutta Choudhury, Milan Das was nominated from Hailakandi constituency. Soumyajit lost the seat to AIUDF’s Anwar Hussain Laskar by 2,608 votes in 2016.

In the first two phases BJP is contesting 74 of the 86 assembly constituencies. The others have been left for its allies, the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and the United People’s Party Liberal (UPPL).

From BJP, 22 sitting MLAs will be contesting in the first phase polls, while in the second, nine sitting MLAs have been allotted the same seat.

The names of BJP candidates for the third phase polls are yet to be announced for the remaining 40 constituencies on April 6, barring the candidature of NEDA convenor Himanta Biswa Sarma from Jalukbari and state unit party president Ranjeet Kumar Dass from Pathacharkuchi.

47 seats for the 126-member Assam state assembly are going to polls on March 27 and the rest 39 will go in the second phase on April 1.