Guwahati, Mar 23 (PTI) The Congress on Saturday named Uday Shankar Hazarika as its candidate for the Lakhimpur Lok Sabha constituency in Assam.

Hazarika had left the ruling BJP a few months ago and joined the Congress.

Also Read | Jammu and Kashmir: Security Forces Bust Jaish-E-Mohammad Module in Srinagar, Four Arrested.

He is expected to be in a direct contest with incumbent two-term BJP MP Pradhan Baruah, with the constituency going to the polls in the first phase on April 19.

The Congress is contesting 13 out of the 14 seats in the state, and though the party announced candidates in 12 seats on March 12, the nominee for Lakhimpur was not declared.

Also Read | Excise Policy Case: Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal's Wife Sunita Meets Him at ED Office (Watch Video).

The Congress is supporting the Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) in Diburgarh.

The Congress has three MPs from the state in the outgoing Lok Sabha, while the BJP has nine, and one seat each is held by the AIUDF and an Independent.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)