Guwahati: Internal discontent has surfaced within the Assam unit of the BJP after several sitting MLAs and ticket aspirants were denied nominations for the April 9 Assembly elections, prompting threats of Independent contests. Senior leaders, including Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and state president Dilip Saikia, have initiated outreach efforts to contain the fallout.
Tensions escalated following the induction and nomination of former Congress leaders Pradyut Bordoloi and Bhupen Borah, who have been fielded from Dispur and Bihpuria respectively. Their candidature has triggered resentment among long-time party workers, who say they have been sidelined despite years of organisational work.
The sharpest reaction has come from Dispur, where senior party worker Jayanta Das, once considered a frontrunner for the ticket, has resigned from the party. Alleging that the BJP has turned into a “Congress BJP”, Das indicated he may contest as an Independent, claiming his supporters have already secured nomination papers.
In another setback, sitting MLA Atul Bora was denied a ticket, fuelling speculation about a possible Independent bid. Sarma personally visited Bora’s residence in an apparent attempt to placate him, though the veteran leader has not publicly disclosed his next move.
Signs of unrest have also emerged in New Guwahati and Guwahati Central, where former ministers Siddhartha Bhattacharya and Ramendra Narayan Kalita were dropped from the candidate list. While Bhattacharya, the former party president said he was “not angry with the party”, Kalita expressed dissatisfaction. Bhattacharya, who joined the party in 1995, was widely regarded as a key figure in facilitating Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s entry into the BJP.
In Bihpuria, sitting MLA Amiya Kumar Bhuyan is reportedly weighing an Independent run after being replaced by Borah. Former MP Topon Kumar Gogoi is also facing pressure from supporters to contest independently from Sonari.
Dissent has extended to the Barak Valley as well, where multiple sitting MLAs have been denied tickets. Party leaders have been deployed to engage with disgruntled members, though final decisions from several of them are still awaited.
Downplaying the unrest, Sarma said the party had received around 1,400 applications and that “it is not possible to accommodate all”. He added that candidate selection prioritised “fresh blood” and organisational performance, and noted that the 2023 delimitation exercise had also influenced ticket allocation.
Saikia said discussions with dissatisfied leaders were ongoing and expressed confidence that they would “understand”, emphasising that the BJP remains a “disciplined party”.
However, a senior party leader, speaking on condition of anonymity, acknowledged growing resentment over the allocation of tickets to former Congress members. Of the BJP’s 90 candidates, 28 have switched from other parties, a move that has drawn criticism from within.
Das also alleged that internal processes had been compromised, referring to what he described as the emergence of a “ticket syndicate”. He claimed that, alongside existing mining and trade syndicates, candidate selection was being influenced by a closed network aligned with the chief minister. In a pointed remark, he also challenged Sarma to ensure Bordoloi’s victory in the upcoming polls.
Polling for the 126-member Assam Assembly is scheduled for April 9, with counting set for May 4.