DIBRUGARH: A fresh layer of political intrigue was added to the Assam assembly elections, with the Sibsagar constituency now set for an unexpected intra-alliance contest after BJP broke away from its original seat-sharing arrangement and fielded its own candidate against ally Asom Gana Parishad (AGP).BJP candidate Kushal Dowari filed his nomination papers for the Sibsagar seat on Monday, upending an earlier understanding under which BJP had ceded the seat to its NDA partner, AGP. Veteran AGP leader and five-time MLA Pradip Hazarika (73) filed his nomination on March 20 as the NDA alliance candidate. The last-minute reversal by BJP now creates a three-cornered contest between Dowari, Hazarika and sitting MLA and Raijor Dal chief Akhil Gogoi.CM Himanta Biswa Sarma, speaking to reporters in Golaghat on Monday, sought to play down the intra-alliance tension, framing the development as a tactical, consensual decision within the NDA fold.“AGP and BJP will be involved in a friendly contest in Sivasagar. Dowari has been nominated as our candidate for Sivasagar, while Hazarika will be the AGP candidate,” Sarma said.BJP state president Dilip Saikia echoed the same sentiment, without elaborating on how two NDA candidates contesting the same seat would consolidate votes.Party sources, however, have been more candid. According to BJP insiders, two key factors drove the decision — Hazarika’s age and his relative unfamiliarity with the Sibsagar constituency, as his five earlier wins came from the now-abolished Amguri seat.
