GUWAHATI: With the prospect of giving election tickets to turncoat leaders from other parties looming large, resentment is brewing among the local leaders of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in many constituencies as the process of selection of candidates for the assembly election gathers momentum.
The situation has reached such a pass that the saffron party is sending teams comprising senior members to these constituencies to bring the conflicting situation under control.
According to sources, the internal feud between the leaders who have joined the party ahead of elections and the local old-timers has taken a vicious turn in Golaghat, Kamalpur, Jonai, Margherita, and Naharakatia assembly constituencies. In the core committee meeting held recently, chaired by the BJP's election in-charge in Assam, Narendra Singh Tomar, it was decided that in all these constituencies where the trouble is brewing, senior teams will be sent to pacify the grassroot workers and take their opinions on candidate selection. The meeting was also attended by Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, State President Ranjeet Dass, and Himanta Biswa Sarma.
The teams will collect feedback from the district-level committees. In every constituency, a three-person team will assess the ground reality and will report back to the core committee before the selection process for ticket distribution commences.
The resentment among the grassroot workers is growing on the issue of the selection of candidates. Many new entrants to the party are in the race to procure tickets, which has angered the workers who have toiled for years for the saffron party.
For instance, in Golaghat constituency, former Congress leader Ajanta Neog, who joined the saffron camp just months ago is tipped to get the ticket. Similarly in Jonai, Bhuban Pegu, who was earlier with Ganashakti Party and now in BJP, is the frontrunner for securing the ticket from the constituency.
Local leaders in these areas have alleged that both Neog and Pegu had tortured BJP workers when they were on the other side of the fence and grassroot party workers are miffed at the possibility of campaigning for these leaders if they ultimately secure their tickets.
A demand is growing among the workers that both leaders should first seek apology for the behaviour towards the grassroot workers. In Digboi, Arunjyoti Moran, a local leader, who led the anti-CAA movement in the constituency and joined BJP recently, is a strong contender for securing the ticket from the saffron camp.
Local party leaders are disconcerted over not only working alongside their former rivals but moreover being pushed down the rung in the party by them. The political careers of several senior local BJP leaders in each of these constituencies is at stake because of this.
Similar situation has arisen in Naharkatia, Kamalpur, Margherita in Upper Assam. To come back to power, BJP needs to do exceedingly well in Upper Assam, which accounts for 43 seats. Resentment among grassroot may upset the equation for saffron brigade.