2 months ago
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Several sitting MLAs and aspirants, who person been deprived of BJP tickets for the April 9 Assam Assembly polls, person threatened to contention arsenic Independents, with Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and State enactment main Dilip Saikia reaching retired to them to calm their ire, sources said.
The caller induction of Congress leaders Pradyut Bordoloi and Bhupen Borah into the BJP and their consequent information arsenic enactment candidates for Dispur and Bihpuria Assembly constituencies, respectively, has raised the hackles of galore summons aspirants successful the party.
The astir vocal protestation has been successful Dispur constituency, wherever elder enactment person Jayanta Das was a highly probable campaigner earlier Bordoloi jumped into the scene.
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Mr. Das openly revolted against Sarma, accusing him of making the enactment a "Congress BJP" by bringing successful his adjacent associates from the expansive aged enactment and ignoring the aged timers.
He discontinue the enactment and is apt to contention from the aforesaid constituency arsenic an Independent, claiming that his supporters person collected the information papers.
The enactment besides denied a summons to sitting MLA and seasoned person Atul Bora, who has represented the BJP successful the constituency doubly since 2016 and served 2 presumption arsenic an AGP person since 1985.
Mr. Bora had besides announced that helium was considering contesting arsenic an Independent but the main curate rushed to his residence to placate him, though the seasoned person did not uncover thing astir his aboriginal people of action.
Discontent is precocious successful 2 different constituencies — New Guwahati and Guwahati Central — wherever seasoned leaders Siddhartha Bhattacharya of the BJP and Ramendra Narayan Kalita of the AGP, some erstwhile ministers, person been denied tickets.
Mr. Bhattacharya, who was instrumental successful bringing Sarma into the BJP successful 2015, said that helium was not aggravated with the enactment though helium was reticent astir his engagement successful the upcoming elections.
Mr. Kalita was peeved with the denial and the main curate rushed to his residence arsenic good to placate him.
Mr. Bhattacharya has been replaced by Samaguri's sitting MLA Diplu Ranjan Sarma, who rushed to the elder leader's location to question his 'blessings'. The replacement of Kalita by seasoned BJP person Vijay Gupta has besides raised the hackles of a conception of the constituency's electorate, arsenic for the archetypal time, a subordinate of the Hindi-speaking assemblage has been nominated for the seat.
Anger is besides precocious successful Bihpuria constituency, wherever Bhupen Borah has been fixed the seat, replacing sitting BJP MLA Amiya Kumar Bhuyan.
Mr. Bhuyan, a erstwhile All Assam Students' Union (AASU) leader, said helium was considering contesting the polls arsenic an Independent and was discussing the substance with his followers.
Former Jorhat MP Topon Kumar Gogoi, who had mislaid to Gaurav Gogoi from the aforesaid spot successful the 2024 parliamentary polls, was besides readying to contention arsenic an Independent from Sonari assembly constituency, which helium had won successful 2016.
He said his supporters privation him to contention arsenic an Independent and "we are discussing the issue".
In Barak Valley, determination was a rumble of dissent among the sitting MLAs Nihar Ranjan Das of Dholai, Dipayan Chakraborty of Silchar and Mihir Kanti Som of Udharbond who were denied tickets, sources said.
The Chief Minister sent his furniture workfellow Jayanta Malla Baruah to soothe their nerves though the MLAs person not yet announced their aboriginal people of action.
Mr. Sarma, however, underplayed the situation, stating that determination were 1,400 summons aspirants and "it is not imaginable to accommodate all".
He said the enactment prioritised caller humor who worked hard to fortify the party's organisation astatine the grassroots level.
Mr. Sarma had earlier said that galore sitting MLAs person been denied tickets chiefly owed to the delimitation workout of 2023 which led to the realignment of galore constituencies.
The enactment did not springiness tickets to 19 sitting MLAs.
BJP authorities president Dilip Saikia sought to downplay the protests by a conception of leaders, saying that talks are underway with those denied tickets, and "I americium definite they volition understand".
"The BJP is simply a disciplined enactment and its members volition not bash thing to harm its interests. Some of them whitethorn person expected tickets arsenic they had worked precise hard, but it is not imaginable to accommodate each aspirants and they volition understand," helium said.
A elder enactment leader, connected information of anonymity, said determination is resentment wrong a conception of the enactment against erstwhile Congress members who person got tickets a fewer days aft joining the BJP, portion respective seasoned leaders, toiling for years, person been ignored.
Assam Congress president Gaurav Gogoi had besides alleged connected Saturday (March 21, 2026) that the BJP successful the authorities was efficaciously a "Congress led by Sarma".
The BJP, contesting 90 seats successful the assembly polls, has fixed tickets to 28 erstwhile Congress members who joined the enactment since 2015 aft Sarma's departure from the saffron party.
Elections to the 126-member assembly volition beryllium held connected April 9, and the votes volition beryllium counted connected May 4.
