The BJP does not have a single candidate from the tea garden community against three by the Congress for the four Assembly constituencies where a bypoll will be held on October 21.
The four BJP candidates — Bijay Malakar (Ratabari), Towfiqur Rahman (Jania), Rajen Borthakur (Rangapara) and Nabanita Handique (Sonari) — submitted their nominations on Monday.
Rangapara and Ratabari were represented by Pallab Lochan Das and Kripanath Mallah, two tea community leaders, till they were elected to the Lok Sabha.
The Congress fielded tea tribe candidates — Prasad Rajak (Ratabari), Kartik Kurmi (Rangapara) and Sushil Suri (Sonari) — in a bid, as said by a party insider, to send the message that the party wants to “make the tea garden community politically strong”. Shamsul Hoque is the Congress’s Jania candidate.
In previous Lok Sabha elections, all three BJP candidates from the tea garden community had won. “A majority of the tea garden people voted for the BJP in the past elections. However, they did not choose a single candidate from the community. The BJP does not want the tea garden community to be politically strong,” said former Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi.
Asked if the Congress would ally with the All India United Democratic Front, Gogoi said there is no point talking about an alliance for the bypoll as both the parties have announced their candidates. “However, we may talk about the 2021 Assembly elections,” said Gogoi.
There have been reports that both the parties are looking for “an understanding to fight elections to defeat the BJP”. Gogoi has said the Congress is “open to alliance with any party to defeat the BJP”.
The Congress on Monday released the list of 40 star campaigners. The list includes the party’s Assam in-charge Harish Rawat, APCC president Ripun Bora, leader of the Opposition in the Assam Legislative Assembly Debabrata Saikia and Gogoi.