Reported by Tejesh Tripathy
Bongaigaon: A section of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers in the Bongaigaon Assembly constituency has decided not to support the alliance nominee in the upcoming polls, expressing discontent over the seat being allotted to the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP).
Local BJP workers said they were aggrieved after the party leadership ceded the Bongaigaon seat to its ally, despite repeated demands that the constituency be contested by a BJP candidate. They alleged that the decision had ignored the sentiments of grassroots workers.
“Following the principle of alliance we supported the AGP candidates in last three elections. We were hopeful that our political sacrifice will be counted in 2026 assembly poll and we will get our party’s (BJP’s) nominee for Bongaigaon seat. But our leaders betrayed us by offering the seat to AGP. We felt hurt by the decision. So, defying the diktat of our leaders we have resolved not to support Mrs Choudhury in the upcoming poll,” agitated BJP workers said.
The AGP has fielded Diptimoyee Choudhury, who had won the 2024 bypoll from the seat with the backing of alliance partners, BJP and the United People’s Party Liberal (UPPL), securing 74,734 votes.
The Bongaigaon seat had earlier been won by AGP leader Phani Bhusan Choudhury in the 2021 Assembly elections with support from the BJP. He later contested the 2024 Lok Sabha election from Barpeta as an AGP candidate, leading to the bypoll in the constituency.
With dissent emerging within the BJP ranks, party workers indicated that their votes may shift either to Independent candidate Chakrdhar Das or Congress nominee Girish Barua.
Das, a former BJP leader, had resigned from the party on March 20 after the seat was allotted to the AGP and is now contesting as an Independent candidate.