Over 300 BJP members have quit the party in Dholai constituency alleging that Parimal Suklabaidya gave the ticket to his puppet; Parimal claims he is not the owner of any ticket and it is the party which decides the candidate
All is not well in the Cachar district unit of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) after the party named its candidate for the Dholai assembly constituency bye-election.
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The bye-election became necessary after BJP legislator Parimal Suklabaidya contested the last Lok Sabha elections and won from Silchar seat, which includes Dholai assembly segment. Recently, the BJP announced the names of its candidates for the upcoming bye-elections in Assam in November. Nihar Ranjan Das was named as the candidate for Dholai constituency, which has upset many BJP members who feel that the ticket has been given to Suklabaidya’s “puppet”.
In protest against the party's decision, over 300 BJP leaders and workers have quit the party in Dholai. This mass resignation comes after a faction of BJP leaders and workers stepped down from their positions, aligning with Amiya Kanti Das, a key contender for the ticket and vice-president of the BJP's Cachar district committee.
A close aide of Amiya Kanti Das talking to GPlus said, “Amiya Da has done a lot for BJP in the Cachar district and especially in Dholai constituency,” adding that Nihar Ranjan Das is not from Dholai constituency and has been given ticket only because he is Parimal Suklabaidya’s “puppet”. The aide also explained that actually Suklabaidya wanted his son to contest from Dholai, but because BJP is scared of playing dynastic politics, the ticket was given to his “puppet” Das. The aide said that Das will not win from Dholai constituency and Amiya will contest as an independent candidate and win this time.
Suklabaidya talking to GPlus said, “I am not the owner of any ticket. It is the party’s decision and it is decided after various rounds of surveys done from mandal level till parliamentary committee.” He also said that he has no role in deciding the ticket for the upcoming bye-election in Dholai constituency.
Das, on the other hand, told GPlus, “I have been working for the party in various positions since many years and everybody wanted me to contest. It is not that only one person can decide the ticket.”
GPlus also tried contacting Amiya, but he was not available for comments.
Whatever may be the strategy of the BJP for selecting the candidate, but as of now there is a fissure in the pasty’s Dholai unit.
