GUWAHATI: The BJP is not fielding at least three sitting Assam MPs in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
The three MPs to have fallen out of the BJP’s favour are Bijoya Chakraborty (Guwahati), Kamakhya Prasad Tassa (Jorhat) and Ramen Deka (Mangaldoi). The BJP’s first list, published on Thursday, had the names of candidates of eight of the 10 seats which the party is contesting.
According to the list, Queen Ojha is contesting from Guwahati, Kripanath Malla (Karimganj), Rajdeep Roy (Silchar), Harensingh Bey (Diphu), Dilip Saikia (Mangaldoi), Tapan Gogoi (Jorhat), Rameswar Teli (Dibrugarh) and Pradan Baruah (Lakhimpur). Teli and Baruah are sitting MPs.
The BJP is yet to declare the names of its candidates for Tezpur and Nagaon seats, both held by the party. Tezpur MP, Ram Prasad Sarmah, resigned from the party recently protesting the alleged non-inclusion of his name in the list of probable candidates. Later, the BJP denied it.
Four-time Nagaon MP Rajen Gohain, who is also the Minister of State for Railways, had already said he would not contest the polls as an alleged rape case is pending against him in a court. His wife, Rita, has expressed the willingness to be in the poll fray as the BJP candidate.
The BJP has forged a pre-poll alliance with Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and Bodoland People’s Front (BPF). Assam has 14 Parliamentary seats and as per their seat-sharing understanding, BJP is contesting in 10 seats, AGP in three and BPF in one.
Meanwhile, the BJP also announced the names of its candidates for four other states of the Northeast such as Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura and Arunachal Pradesh.
In Manipur, the party fielded KK Ranjan Singh (Inner Manipur) and HS Benjamin Mate (Outer Manipur). In Tripura, the BJP candidates are Rebati Tripura (Tripura West) and Pratima Bhaumik (Tripura East). Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju is contesting from Arunachal West while the BJP’s state unit president Tapir Gao is contesting from Arunachal East. The BJP fielded Nirupam Chakma in Mizoram’s lone Parliamentary seat.