Hours after quitting the Congress to join the BJP, Pradyut Bordoloi secured a place in the party’s first list of 88 candidates for the upcoming Assam Assembly elections, which was released on Thursday.The list features Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, as well as many recent entrants, including Kamalakhya Dey Purkayastha, Sashi Kanta Das and Bhupen Kumar Borah.According to the list, Sarma will contest from Jalukbari, Bordoloi from Dispur, Borah from Bihpuria, Purkayastha from Katigora and Das from Raha. The party has also nominated six women candidates.Hitendra Nath Goswami is another key candidates, who is set to face Gaurav Gogoi, the Assam unit chief of the Indian National Congress, in Jorhat. Additional nominees feature Prasanta Phukan from Dibrugarh, Uttam Prasad from Dhubri, Jayanta Malla Baruah from Nalbari, Sibu Mishra from Lumding, Ranoj Pegu from Dhemaji, Pulok Gohain from Tinsukia, Bhuban Gam from Majuli, Rajdeep Roy from Silchar, and Ajanta Neog from Golaghat.In a statement, the party said the names were finalised by its central election committee, chaired by BJP national chief Nitin Nabin, in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Home Minister Amit Shah, among other senior leaders.Soon after the announcement, Sarma congratulated party workers and candidates, expressing gratitude to the leadership for finalising what he described as a “promising list.” The state will go to the polls in a single phase on April 9.Son pulls out after ex-Cong MP Bordoloi gets saffron ticketAssam MP Pradyut Bordoloi’s decision to leave the Congress and join the BJP has led to his son Prateek Bordoloi withdrawing from the electoral fray in the upcoming Assembly poll.Prateek, who was fielded by the Congress from Margherita, informed party president Mallikarjun Kharge of his decision in a letter dated March 18. He clarified that while he would not contest the election, he would continue to remain associated with the party.The Congress had announced Prateek’s candidature in its first list earlier this month for the Margherita seat, which had been represented by his father for four terms.In the letter, Prateek said in view of his father joining another political party, it would not be appropriate for him to continue as a Congress candidate from the constituency, as it could create confusion regarding his commitment and the party’s position.