Altogether 39 undergraduates, with 14 of them not even crossed the Class 10 school leaving examination level, are in fray among the 88 contestants for eight seats in first two phases of Lok Sabha polls in Assam.
Among the candidates, there are 22 graduates and 21 postgraduates with ten having degrees in law and three doctorates, according to details submitted by the candidates while filing their nominations.
Controversial former Congress MP Moni Kumar Subba, contesting as an Independent from Tezpur after being denied a party ticket, may be the richest candidate but appears to be the least educated having passed only middle school.
Former ULFA militants Jiten Gogoi, contesting as an independent from Kaliabor, studied upto Class nine while his former comrade and AGP'S Lakhimpur nominee Hari Prasad Dihingia has passed the Class ten school leaving examination.
Two engineers, including Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi's son Gaurav Gogoi, three doctors, ten lawyers and a human rights activist are contesting the polls while a majority have cited social work and business as their profession.
Congress as a party is the most educated with six post-graduates, including two lawyers, two graduates and has two second generation politicians - educated abroad.
Gogoi, contesting from Kaliabor in Upper Assam, has a B.Tech degree in electrical engineering from Bharatiya Vidyapeeth and a Masters in Public Administration from New York University.
Another second generation politician Sushmita Dev, daughter of former Union Minister Santosh Mohan Dev, is contesting from Silchar and has completed her entire legal studies, including Bar-at-law, from London.
