GUWAHATI: Minister of State for Railways, Rajen Gohain, was able to rush, yet he missed the train.
The four-time Nagaon MP in Assam has been snubbed by his party, BJP, which fielded a relatively inexperienced, Rupak Sarmah, in the seat to contest the upcoming elections.
Last week, the 68-year-old Gohain, who is a veteran in the party, had decided against contesting the polls as a case of alleged rape against him was pending in the court. He had sought to field his wife in the constituency which has sizeable populations of Hindus and Muslims.
Even as the filing of nominations was on, Gohain got a lease of life on Monday when the Gauhati High Court quashed criminal proceedings against him in the case after the complainant, a married woman, had testified she had lodged the FIR due to a misunderstanding and the matter had been amicably settled.
Buoyed by the court’s order, Gohain was gearing up to fight the elections but the BJP frustrated him by fielding Sarmah. Gohain, who has been representing Nagaon in the Lok Sabha since 1999, made known his displeasure by remaining aloof when Sarmah had gone to file nomination, accompanied by BJP leaders.
Gohain was not available for comments. Sarmah said, “I need his blessings and guidance as he has been the MP of Nagaon for 20 years”.
Of Assam’s 14 Parliamentary seats, seven are held by the BJP. Five of the seven MPs have been denied tickets this election, prompting three-time former Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi to claim that they were ignored by the BJP due to non-performance.
One of the MPs cold-shouldered is Ram Prasad Sarma who represents the Tezpur constituency. He asserted that he would mobilize BJP leaders and workers, who have been associated with the party for years, and form a new BJP. An advocate by profession, he has been associated with the BJP and RSS for decades.