The BJP central leadership’s move to reject a panel of candidates prepared by the president of the saffron party’s Assam unit has brought to the fore the differences among the ranks and files of the ruling party.
The central election committee of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) finalized the candidates for Rangapara, Sonari and Ratabari constituencies from among the three-member panel prepared by the state panel.
However, for Jania constituency, it rejected the panel prepared by BJP’s state president Ranjeet Kumar Dass.
The by-polls to Rangapara, Sonari, Ratabari and Jania were necessitated after the sitting MLAs from these constituencies contested and won the Lok Sabha polls.
The four constituencies are going to by-polls on October 21.
Also read: BJP announces candidates for bypolls to four Assembly seats in Assam
The state election committee of the BJP prepared a panel of three candidates for Rangapara, Sonari and Ratabari constituencies.
But the committee unanimously decided to entrust Assam BJP president Ranjeet Kumar Dass to prepare a panel of three candidates for Jania constituency to be sent to the party’s central election committee.
Also read: BJP prepares panel of candidates for October 21 by-polls
Dass prepared a panel with the names of Ismil Hussain, Mujibur Rahman Khan and Abdul Samad and sent it to the central election committee.
But the central committee declared one Towfiqur Rahman as the candidate for Jania constituency, shocking the state BJP leadership.
“When the state election committee unanimously entrusted the party president to prepare the panel for Jania constituency and accordingly he did it, the central leadership should have respected it,” said a senior party leader.
While the name of Towfique Rahman was finalized from Jania constituency, the central leadership also finalized the names of Rajen Borthakur for Rangapara, Nabanita Handique for Sonari and Bijay Malakar for Ratabari constituency.