Assam: Congress SMC candidate Tapas Das quits, switches to BJP

A CORRESPONDENT

SILCHAR: Just two days before Silchar votes in its maiden municipal corporation election, the Congress suffered another setback after its Ward No. 18 candidate, Tapas Das, resigned from the party and announced his decision to join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Soon after submitting his resignation, Das said that his election campaign had convinced him that the longstanding civic issues faced by residents of his ward could not be effectively addressed from the opposition benches.

"I realised during the campaign that the problems relating to basic civic amenities in my locality cannot be resolved even if I win as an opposition councillor. Under the dynamic leadership of Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma and local minister Kaushik Rai, I believe I can serve the people more effectively by stepping out of the election race," Das said.

The district Congress alleged that the ruling BJP had been intimidating its candidates to force them out of the election.

With Das' exit, four Congress candidates have now withdrawn from the Silchar Municipal Corporation election race ahead of polling.

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