Silchar: In a setback to BJP ahead of the April 9 assembly elections, dissent has surfaced in the Barak Valley after three sitting MLAs were denied renomination, with Dholai (SC) legislator Nihar Ranjan Das resigning from the party’s primary membership on Thursday.Das, who won the 2024 bypoll from Dholai (SC), announced his resignation within hours of BJP releasing its candidate list. He told reporters he would contest the upcoming election as an Independent from Dholai.
BJP has dropped three incumbent MLAs from Cachar district — Dipayan Chakraborty from Silchar, Nihar Ranjan Das from Dholai and Mihir Kanti Som from Udharbond — triggering resentment within party ranks.In their place, the party has fielded former Silchar MP Rajdeep Roy from Silchar, Amiya Kanti Das from Dholai and Rajdeep Goala from Udharbond.Rajdeep had earlier contested the 2011 assembly election from Silchar but lost to Congress. BJP has also named Kaushik Rai from Lakhipur, Kamalaksha Dey Purkayastha from Katigorah and Kishore Nath from Barkhola.In neighbouring Hailakandi district, the party has fielded Milan Das, while Subrata Bhattacharjee will contest from Karimganj North, Krishnendu Paul from Patharkandi and Bijoy Malakar from Ramkrishna Nagar (SC).Expressing dissatisfaction over his exclusion, Das said he had submitted his resignation to the state BJP president and alleged that his name was dropped despite his long association with the party. “The decision has hurt not just me but also my supporters,” he said.Political observers said the dissent and last-minute exits could weaken BJP’s organisational strength in the Barak Valley ahead of the polls. The party leadership has not yet issued an official response.
