Assam: BJP expels 12 rebel candidates in Silchar, suspends four

A CORRESPONDENT

SILCHAR: In a strict action, the state BJP has expelled 12 rebels who had filed nominations against party candidates for the ensuing Silchar Municipal Corporation election. Apart from them, 4 more cadres of the party have been suspended by the state committee. A statement issued by the state committee General Secretary, Arup Barman, maintained that steps were taken against these 16 members for their anti-party activities.

On Thursday, state BJP President Dilip Saikia, during his Silchar campaign, had indicated that those party workers contesting the civic body poll as independent candidates would be given a last chance to withdraw themselves from the fray; otherwise, strict actions would be taken.

Interestingly, among those who were expelled on Saturday, some had already resigned from the primary membership of the party. Sanghita Chakrabarty, the rebel candidate contesting from ward number 14, said that the party top leaders are encouraging anti-party activities as nominations were awarded, violating the mandatory educational qualification guidelines laid down by the Assam Municipal Corporation Act. "In my ward, the party has nominated such a candidate who is not even a matriculate, whereas the Act states that the general category candidate has to be a graduate," maintaining this, Chakrabarty challenged the party leadership to make public the educational certificates of the candidate.

Saikia, however, claimed that all the party candidates had requisite educational qualifications.

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