Shake-up in Assam BJP: BJP announces 88 candidates for Assam polls; 19 sitting MLAs excluded amid protests and factionalism
Guwahati: BJP on Thursday announced its first list of 88 candidates for the Assam assembly polls scheduled on April 9, making sharp churns in its ranks.
The list excludes names of 19 sitting MLAs, including a cabinet minister, the deputy speaker, and several senior leaders such as a former state president. The list also does not incldue names of two other MLAs as they have been replaced following their election to the Rajya Sabha recently.
The changes have set off resignations and protests in several constituencies In Dima Hasao, simmering factionalism came to the fore as the party replaced sitting MLA and cabinet minister Nandita Gorlosa in Haflong with first time aspirant Rupali Langthasa. Discontent also flared in the Barak Valley, where three sitting MLAs were denied renomination. In protest, sitting Dholai legislator Nihar Ranjan Das resigned from the party’s primary membership.
On the other hand, the party introduced 16 new faces, a mix of 10 young aspirants and six old timers but made a marginal cut in women candidates — down to six from seven in 2021.
CM Himanta Biswa Sarma said several names were left out due to delimitation, which led to some constituencies ceasing to exist and others becoming reserved. He added that there was no discontent within the party’s ranks and files following the announcement of candidates.
“Change of faces happens in BJP. There were about 1400 applications for ticket. The basis of selection was grassroot workers with zero familial ties. The list reflects a mix of young blood and old turks, women and across various indigenous communities of the state,” Sarma said here.
One of the biggest highlights is the fielding of Pradyut Bordoloi from the high-profile Dispur constituency, barely a day after his formal entry into the party. He replaced sitting legislator Atul Bora, a front-rank leader of the anti-foreigners’’ movement and five-time MLA from the constituency since 1985 — thrice as AGP and last two terms as BJP.
Three more ex-Congress men, including former PCC chief Bhupen Kumar Borah, who switched to BJP only weeks ago, have also been fielded.
Among the most striking exclusions is former state BJP president Siddhartha Bhattacharya, who was the sitting MLA of Guwahati East, now New Guwahati following redrawing of boundaries in the delimitation process. A party veteran who joined in 1995, Bhattacharya helmed the state unit in 2014 to 15 and is widely credited with facilitating Himanta Biswa Sarma’s entry into the BJP during his tenure.
CM Himanta Biswa Sarma will seek re-election from Jalukbari, a seat he has held uninterrupted since 2001 while sitting MLA from Jorhat, Hitendra Nath Goswami, has been fielded against state Congress president Gaurav Gogoi in the seat.
Yet another striking feature is in form of an exchange of candidates within the NDA as leaders have switched between BJP and AGP to secure nominations under the alliance’s seat-sharing pact.
While AGP’s Bhupen Roy defected to BJP which named him the candidate for Abhayapuri, two BJP leaders — Basanta Das and Prakash Das — have crossed over to AGP, securing tickets for Naoboicha and Hajo-Sualkuchi respectively.
Within the NDA framework, BJP will contest 89 seats, AGP 26, and BPF 11, making up the total of 126 constituencies. BJP has said it will announce its candidate for the Sissiborgaon constituency in the next list.
BJP’s biggest gamble, however, is in Dhubri constituency where Bangladesh-origin Muslim immigrants are the decisive voters. BJP has won this seat once in 1991 so far and is pinning its hopes again on veteran leader Uttam Prasad, known for his deep grassroots connect and a rare secularist image to create a miracle.
Sarma said BJP had won in as many as 80 assembly segments during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. While refraining from making predictions for the upcoming polls, he asserted it would be a “historic victory” for the party.
The 2023 delimitation exercise has redrawn boundaries across Assam’s constituencies while keeping the total number of seats unchanged at 126. The number of ST-reserved seats has risen from 16 to 19, while SC-reserved seats increased from eight to nine.
On the political front, the number of constituencies where Bangladesh-origin Muslim migrants held decisive sway has shrunk from 31 to 22, a shift that could reshape traditional voting patterns and alliances in the upcoming assembly polls.
The list excludes names of 19 sitting MLAs, including a cabinet minister, the deputy speaker, and several senior leaders such as a former state president. The list also does not incldue names of two other MLAs as they have been replaced following their election to the Rajya Sabha recently.
The changes have set off resignations and protests in several constituencies In Dima Hasao, simmering factionalism came to the fore as the party replaced sitting MLA and cabinet minister Nandita Gorlosa in Haflong with first time aspirant Rupali Langthasa. Discontent also flared in the Barak Valley, where three sitting MLAs were denied renomination. In protest, sitting Dholai legislator Nihar Ranjan Das resigned from the party’s primary membership.
On the other hand, the party introduced 16 new faces, a mix of 10 young aspirants and six old timers but made a marginal cut in women candidates — down to six from seven in 2021.
CM Himanta Biswa Sarma said several names were left out due to delimitation, which led to some constituencies ceasing to exist and others becoming reserved. He added that there was no discontent within the party’s ranks and files following the announcement of candidates.
“Change of faces happens in BJP. There were about 1400 applications for ticket. The basis of selection was grassroot workers with zero familial ties. The list reflects a mix of young blood and old turks, women and across various indigenous communities of the state,” Sarma said here.
One of the biggest highlights is the fielding of Pradyut Bordoloi from the high-profile Dispur constituency, barely a day after his formal entry into the party. He replaced sitting legislator Atul Bora, a front-rank leader of the anti-foreigners’’ movement and five-time MLA from the constituency since 1985 — thrice as AGP and last two terms as BJP.
Three more ex-Congress men, including former PCC chief Bhupen Kumar Borah, who switched to BJP only weeks ago, have also been fielded.
Among the most striking exclusions is former state BJP president Siddhartha Bhattacharya, who was the sitting MLA of Guwahati East, now New Guwahati following redrawing of boundaries in the delimitation process. A party veteran who joined in 1995, Bhattacharya helmed the state unit in 2014 to 15 and is widely credited with facilitating Himanta Biswa Sarma’s entry into the BJP during his tenure.
CM Himanta Biswa Sarma will seek re-election from Jalukbari, a seat he has held uninterrupted since 2001 while sitting MLA from Jorhat, Hitendra Nath Goswami, has been fielded against state Congress president Gaurav Gogoi in the seat.
Yet another striking feature is in form of an exchange of candidates within the NDA as leaders have switched between BJP and AGP to secure nominations under the alliance’s seat-sharing pact.
While AGP’s Bhupen Roy defected to BJP which named him the candidate for Abhayapuri, two BJP leaders — Basanta Das and Prakash Das — have crossed over to AGP, securing tickets for Naoboicha and Hajo-Sualkuchi respectively.
Within the NDA framework, BJP will contest 89 seats, AGP 26, and BPF 11, making up the total of 126 constituencies. BJP has said it will announce its candidate for the Sissiborgaon constituency in the next list.
BJP’s biggest gamble, however, is in Dhubri constituency where Bangladesh-origin Muslim immigrants are the decisive voters. BJP has won this seat once in 1991 so far and is pinning its hopes again on veteran leader Uttam Prasad, known for his deep grassroots connect and a rare secularist image to create a miracle.
Sarma said BJP had won in as many as 80 assembly segments during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. While refraining from making predictions for the upcoming polls, he asserted it would be a “historic victory” for the party.
The 2023 delimitation exercise has redrawn boundaries across Assam’s constituencies while keeping the total number of seats unchanged at 126. The number of ST-reserved seats has risen from 16 to 19, while SC-reserved seats increased from eight to nine.
On the political front, the number of constituencies where Bangladesh-origin Muslim migrants held decisive sway has shrunk from 31 to 22, a shift that could reshape traditional voting patterns and alliances in the upcoming assembly polls.
Next Story