2 months ago
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Bijoy Malakar, a two-time MLA and the Bharatiya Janata Party’s campaigner from the Ram Krishna Nagar constituency successful confederate Assam, is battling the ‘Bangladeshi’ tag up of the Assembly election.
Suruchi Roy, his Congress rival, has indicated that the April 9 predetermination would beryllium a combat betwixt a bhumikanya (daughter of the soil) and a idiosyncratic of doubtful citizenship.
“A lawsuit against the BJP campaigner is pending successful the Gauhati High Court. He has not been capable to taxable documents (to beryllium helium is Indian),” she said aft filing her information papers successful Sribhumi territory connected Friday (March 20, 2026).
Sribhumi is 1 of 3 districts successful the Bengali-dominated Barak Valley, which has 13 Assembly constituencies.
Mr. Malakar, who won the constituency doubly successful its earlier avatar arsenic Ratabari earlier the 2023 delimitation exercise, rubbished her allegation. “Opponents hurl the Bangladeshi complaint earlier each predetermination and effort to rattle me. Labelling Bengali Hindus arsenic Bangladeshis is casual successful Assam, due to the fact that they person been brushed targets,” helium said.
Mr. Malakar said his Indian citizenship is beyond doubt, adding that 4 of his father’s brothers were authorities employees. “Since the lawsuit is successful court, it is for the judges to decide,” helium said.
In December 2025, 2 persons from Barak Valley—Braja Gopal Sinha and Bijoy Kumar Kanu—filed a writ petition successful the Gauhati High Court, claiming that Mr. Malakar is not an Indian citizen. They claimed their accusation was from “authentic sources”.
“The responsive No 1 (Mr. Malakar) and his parents entered India (Assam) aft the cut-off date, 25th March 1971. The petitioners person collected each the voters’ lists including the voters’ lists of 1966 and 1971 of Karimganj Town and connected verification of the voters’ lists, the petitioners recovered that the sanction of the responsive No 1 was archetypal enrolled successful the supplementary database of 2005 astatine serial No 318, portion No 96, Karimganj North Assembly constituency nether House No 15 of main voters database of 2005, without immoderate basis,” the synopsis of the petition read.
The petitioners claimed that the MLA’s begetter was listed arsenic Shankar Malakar successful the 2005 voters’ list, but his photograph matched that of an idiosyncratic named Sudhanya Kumar Malakar successful documents issued successful Bangladesh successful 2020.
Another BJP legislator, Nihar Ranjan Das, faced a akin allegation portion contesting the Dholai Assembly spot successful 2021. Amiya Kanti Das, who replaced him this time, had accused him of being a Bangladeshi.
