Two PhDs, one 'illiterate' in poll ring

Guwahati: From an IIM graduate to an 'illiterate', candidates with different (or little) educational qualifications are in the fray for the first phase of polls. Of the 539 candidates who will fight it out on April 4, 118 are graduates and two hold doctorate degrees. There are 115 contestants who have passed high school.
Contesting from Margherita constituency, Congress's Pradyut Bordoloi holds a master's degree in social science from Jawaharlal Nehru University.He is facing reformed militant, Bhaskar Sharma of BJP, who is a matriculate.
Former BJP leader Prodyut Kumar Bora, who has floated a new party called Liberal Democratic Party and is contesting from Jorhat, is also one of the most educated candidates in the first phase. He is from IIM, Ahmedabad.
A study by Assam Election Watch (AEW) and Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) said as many as 301 candidates, or 56%, are between 'Class V-pass' and 'Class XII-pass'. "At least 221 candidates (41%) are graduates and/or above," the study said. Altogether 42 candidates in the fray for the first phase are 'graduate professionals' and 59 are postgraduates.
Mira Tanti from CPI-ML (L) is the only candidate who has declared herself to be 'illiterate'. She is contesting from the Tingkhong seat in Dibrugarh district.
There are 12 candidates who have completed Class V, 62 who have completed Class VIII and 112 who have completed higher secondary. Besides, nine candidates are 'simple literates', which means those who can only sign their names.