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BJP to Drop Several Sitting MLAs in Assam, Focus on New Faces & Youth

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced that several sitting BJP MLAs will likely be denied tickets for the upcoming state assembly elections. The party plans to field a mix of new candidates with a focus on increasing the representation of women and youth. This decision follows a detailed review of MLA performance and aims to counter anti-incumbency. The BJP will contest 89 seats, while allies AGP and BPF will contest 26 and 11 seats respectively under the NDA arrangement.

Key Points: BJP to Deny Tickets to Many Assam MLAs, Says CM Himanta Sarma

  • BJP to drop several sitting MLAs
  • Focus on new faces, women & youth candidates
  • To contest 89 of 126 Assam seats
  • Candidate list expected Wednesday
  • Aiming to counter anti-incumbency
2 min read

Many BJP MLAs to be denied tickets for Assam polls: CM Sarma

Assam CM Himanta Sarma says BJP will drop several sitting MLAs for upcoming polls, prioritizing new candidates, women, and youth. Seat-sharing details inside.

"The party has undertaken a detailed review... we have decided to introduce new candidates. - Himanta Biswa Sarma"

New Delhi, March 17

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Tuesday that several sitting MLAs of the Bharatiya Janata Party in the state are likely to be denied tickets in the upcoming Assembly elections, with the party leadership opting for a mix of new faces, women, and young candidates.

Speaking to reporters in New Delhi, Chief Minister Sarma indicated that the BJP is set to contest 89 out of the 126 Assembly seats in Assam, while leaving 26 seats for its ally Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and 11 seats for the Bodoland People's Front (BPF) as part of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) seat-sharing arrangement.

He added that the BJP's candidate list is expected to be announced on Wednesday, following the concluding of key meetings of the party's central election committee in the national capital.

"The party has undertaken a detailed review of the performance of its sitting MLAs, and in several Assembly constituencies, we have decided to introduce new candidates. There will be a conscious effort to ensure adequate representation of women and youth in the candidate list," CM Sarma said.

The Chief Minister added that the selection process was guided by feedback from grassroots party workers, organisational considerations, and winnability factors, suggesting that merit and performance have been prioritised over incumbency.

Sources in the party said that the move to drop some sitting legislators is aimed at countering anti-incumbency and injecting fresh energy into the party's campaign ahead of the state polls.

The BJP had emerged as the single largest party in the 2021 Assam Assembly elections and subsequently formed the government in the state with its allies AGP and United People's Party Liberal (UPPL).

The BJP is now aiming to retain power with a historic mandate.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

P
Priya S
Good to see a focus on women candidates. Assam needs more women's representation in the assembly. I hope they choose capable leaders and not just for tokenism. The grassroots feedback part is crucial.
A
Aman W
While injecting new energy is good, I hope they don't drop performing MLAs just to make room for someone else. There should be a transparent review process. Voters remember who worked for them.
S
Sarah B
Interesting strategy. The seat-sharing math with AGP and BPF seems stable. The real test will be if the new candidates can match the name recognition of the sitting MLAs they are replacing. Alliance management is key in Assam.
V
Vikram M
CM Sarma is a shrewd politician. This move kills two birds with one stone – tackles anti-incumbency and shows the party is dynamic. But ultimately, development work on the ground will decide the historic mandate, not just candidate changes.
K
Kriti O
Respectfully, I have to say this often feels like musical chairs. New faces come, but do the real issues of employment, infrastructure, and flood control get addressed any better? Hope the focus remains on governance.

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