BJP Focuses On New Faces In State; Fates of Five MPs Uncertain

GUWAHATI: The National BJP has reportedly finalized the names of several candidates including two sitting MPs for the Parliamentary polls in Assam while showing a great deal of reluctance to give tickets to five sitting MPs from contesting the elections this time, informed a party source. The party is fielding several new faces from the State.

The two sitting MPs whose names have been shortlisted are Rameswar Teli from Dibrugarh Parliamentary seat and Pradan Barua from the Lakhimpur seat. Barring the last minute changes, the other four candidates who have been given the green signal to contest on party tickets are Topon Kumar Gogoi (Jorhat); Kripanath Malla (Karimganj); Rajdeep Roy (Silchar); Haren Sing Bey (Autonomous Council — Diphu); and Dilip Saikia (Mangaldoi). The name of former Mayor of Guwahati Municipal Corporation Queen Ojha is doing the rounds for the BJP woman candidate from Gauhati constituency.

On the other hand, the national BJP has almost rejected the names of the following five sitting MPs, namely Bijoya Chakraborty (Gauhati); Rajen Gohain (Nagaon); Kamakhya Prasad Tasa (Jorhat); RP Sarmah (Tezpur) and Ramen Deka (Mangaldoi). Till the filing of this report, a discussion was going on in the party’s central poll panel in New Delhi with regard to the three Parliamentary seats of Gauhati, Tezpur, and Nagaon.

The national BJP is expected to announce the detailed list on Monday.

Sources informed that initially State Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma was projected for the Lok Sabha, and accordingly the State party election panel listed him for the Tezpur LS seat. However, latest reports say that the party high command has instead reposed on him the responsibility of supervising and organizing the party’s position in the entire northeast region as he is the convenor of NEDA (North East Democratic Alliance). There are 25 Parliamentary seats in Northeast. The BJP is expecting more than 20 seats in the region. It will be clear tomorrow whether Sarma will actually be contesting the elections or not.

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