Himanta, Assam BJP chief Dilip Saikia reach out to leaders threatening to contest as Independents

GUWAHATI: (Mar 22) Several sitting MLAs and aspirants, who have been deprived of BJP tickets for the April 9 Assam assembly polls, have threatened to contest as Independents, with Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and state party chief Dilip Saikia reaching out to them to calm their ire, sources said.

The recent induction of Congress leaders Pradyut Bordoloi and Bhupen Borah into the BJP and their subsequent nomination as party candidates for Dispur and Bihpuria assembly constituencies, respectively, has raised the hackles of many ticket aspirants in the party.

The most vocal protest has been in Dispur constituency, where senior party leader Jayanta Das was a highly probable candidate before Bordoloi jumped into the scene.