Assam: Infighting in Dholai Congress; 12 leaders quit

A correspondent

Silchar: Due to internal strife, significant dissidence, and resignations in both the Congress and the BJP, the Dholai bye-election remained hazy. The day the ruling party declared Nihar Ranjan Das as the candidate, Amiyo Kanti Das, a strong contender for the nomination, resigned from the primary membership of the BJP. Amiyo Kanti, vice president of the district BJP pointed fingers at the local MP Parimal Suklabaidya alleging that the latter had ditched him only to keep Dholai as a regime of his dynastic politics. Amiyo Kanti had already declared that he would contest the election as an independent candidate to ensure that the BJP comes down to third position.

It was now the Congress' phrase for rebellion amid this commotion among the saffron brigade. On Tuesday the party candidate Dhrubajyoti Purkayastha filed his nomination in presence of the APCC president Bhupen Bora and the Leader of the Opposition in the state Assembly Debobrata Saikia and on the same day evening, atleast 12 leaders of the Dholai Congress resigned from the party. Terming Purkayastha as the “BJP backed candidate”, leaders like the  Youth Congress, Minority Cell, tea cell and other units alleged that the candidate the party had picked up, had openly supported the BJP candidate Suklabaidya in the 2021 Assembly election. Purkayastha was instrumental in defeating the Congress candidate Kamakhya Prasad Mallah, who had recently died, the dissident leaders alleged. They further pointed fingers at the district Congress president Abhijit Paul and APCC representative for the Dholai bye-election Anowar Hussain allegedly of having clandestine connection with the ruling party. The rebel group demanded immediate removal of Paul and Hussain in the interest of the Congress.

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