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ULFA kills kidnapped BJP candidate

Suspected United Liberation Front of Asom militants killed BJP candidate of Dhubri Lok Sabha constituency, Pannalal Oswal, last night.

The police said his body was recovered from a place in Dhubri district this morning. Oswal was abducted on Monday night by the ULFA near Bilasipara while campaigning.

The Dhubri Lok Sabha constituency would have gone to polls on October 3 along with other constituencies of Assam. Dr Oswal was kidnapped from the residence of Pradip Nath at Haduartari village near Bilasipara town.

According to authoritative sources, the candidate was abducted by ULFA militants following his failure to provide an assurance that he would raise the issue of a 'sovereign Assam' in Parliament, if elected with help from the ULFA. The BJP state unit as well as the party's national president Kushabhau Thakre have ridiculed the state government's clarification that the victim had gone on his own to attend a pre-arranged meeting with some ULFA activists at Salkuchi.

Meanwhile, the October 3 poll for Dhubri Lok Sabha constituency will be adjourned and a new date announced by the Election Commission after receiving the returning officer's report, sources said today.

While the returning officer had telephonically informed the commission about the killing, a detailed written report was awaited, the sources said.

Election Commission sources said as per the procedure, after the new poll was announced, the BJP would be given one week's time to nominate a new candidate.

Elections have been adjourned in five other Lok Sabha constituencies so far. While it was adjourned in Narasaraopet constituency of Assam from September 5 to October 3 following the killing of an independent candidate in a bomb blast, the September 18 polling in Anantnag in Jammu and Kashmir was adjourned to October 4 following the killing of BJP candidate Ghulam Hyder Noorani. The September 18 elections in the flood-hit Vidisha and Hoshangabad constituencies of Madhya Pradesh were postponed to September 28 because of heavy rains. The October 3 polling in Outer Manipur has been put off by a day to October 4 following the recommendation of the state electoral officers.

Elections have also been adjourned in seven assembly constituencies in Andhra Pradesh and five in Karnataka from September 5 to October 3. A new poll date is yet to be announced for the Sirpur assembly constituency in Andhra Pradesh, where polling was adjourned following the killing of the Telugu Desam Party candidate.

UNI

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