In what could hurt Congressional prospects in the Assam elections early next year, two MLAs from the incumbent party joined the BJP on Tuesday, days after meeting with Union Interior Minister Amit Shah in Guwahati.
Former PWD Minister and current Golaghat Constituency MLA Ajanta Neog and the Acting MLA of Barak Valley Region Lakhipur Constituency Rajdeep Goala were welcomed into the saffron fold at an event attended by seniors BJP leaders, including state president Ranjeet Dass and Assam senior minister and key leader in the northeast, Himanta Biswa Sarma.
Banendra Mushahary, a former Bodoland Popular Front (BPF) military player, also joined the BJP at the same ceremony. BPF is an ally of the BJP in the Assam government, but in recent Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) polls, the saffron party abandoned it and went on to form the ruling alliance with the UPPL.
Dass said he expected the three leaders to ably serve the party and the people. He added that, on Shah’s advice, the BJP state unit has formed a selection committee to examine the credentials of those who have tried to join the party and the assent of the panel would be required before the party comes up with new faces.
“It is a huge boost for us before the next elections, as these three leaders would help us reach our goal of winning 100 seats (out of 126). Together we will work to achieve that goal, ”said Sarma. On Neog, the finance minister said she will help the BJP bring its ideals to the people.
Neog said his move to the BJP was like moving from one “house” to another. “The BJP has a vision for the future,” he said, adding: “The party that I had been with for so long has alienated itself from the people, the party that I served wholeheartedly for 20 long years did not give me the respect he deserved. ,” she said.
Her husband Nagen Neog was assassinated in 1996 by alleged ULFA militants. He was the panchayat and minister of rural development in the government of the state Congress, then led by Hiteswar Saikia. “Neog’s husband was murdered because he believed in the ideology of Congress,” said a congressional leader.
Neog, an influential leader in Upper Assam, has been a Congressional MLA since 2001. She was a former minister in Tarun Gogoi’s cabinet and was considered close to him.
Goala’s father, Dinesh Prasad Goala, was a seven-time MLA in Congress and a former minister. He died in 2014, paving the way for his son to run for election and become an MLA. “Goala received a fine for sympathy at that time,” the leader quoted above said.
Downplaying the defections, Congressional spokeswoman Rhituporna Konwar told The Indian Express: “The party has given them a lot. But what did they give the party? In the good old days, they had butter and cream. Now when we need to unite and fight the BJP and its allies, these leaders have betrayed us. They are opportunists and the people of Assam will teach them a lesson in the elections. “
The MLA’s departure from session has only compounded the big party’s concerns at a time when it is still licking its wounds from defeat in two recently held local council elections, BTC and the Tiwa Autonomous Council (TAC), in Assam. Shortly after the elections for 40 BTC seats, Sajal Kumar Sinha, the sole winner of Congress, joined the BJP. In TAC polls, Congress won just one seat, down from its 2015 tally of 15.
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