BJP Veteran Rebels, Sparks High-Stakes Triangular Fight in Dispur

Former Assam BJP vice president and party veteran Jayanta Kumar Das has resigned from the BJP after being denied ticket from the Dispur constituency. With his move to step into the fray as an Independent, Das has now intensified the electoral battle, turning Dispur into a high-voltage triangular contest.

He is up against the BJP's Pradyut Bordoloi, and Meera Borthakur, who has added strength to the Congress campaign.

In an exclusive interaction with NDTV, Das launched a scathing attack on the current BJP leadership, claiming the party has deviated from its core ideology.

"I am a follower of Atal Bihari Vajpayee and LK Advani. I joined BJP inspired by them. During the Assam Movement, when 860 Assamese people died, Vajpayee and Advani stood in support. I joined politics to serve my state and nation, but today those who opposed the movement are now dominating the party," Das said.

Taking a sharp dig at the current leadership, he added: "Today Assam has two Congress leaders-one is Himanta Biswa Sarma and the other is Gaurav Gogoi. The real BJP is nowhere".

The party, he said, is functioning under a "dictatorship". 

"Despite serving the party for over 35 years, I was denied ticket by a single individual. My grievance is not against the BJP's ideology, but what the party has become today," he said.

Expressing his disappointment, Das said, "I feel ashamed to say that I once had the opportunity to travel with Narendra Modi when he was not yet Prime Minister. If he knew that a dedicated worker like me was denied a ticket, he would be hurt. I could not even get an appointment with him or Amit Shah."

Addressing questions about his earlier exit from the BJP to join the Asom Gana Parishad, Das clarified, "I oppose 'parachute leaders'. BJP is not a dustbin where rejected leaders are accommodated again and again."

He also alleged misuse of social media by the party's IT cell. "After I left the party, a fake statement in my name was circulated using a reputed Assamese media house logo. This kind of misinformation is unfortunate," he said.

Das's supporters have rallied strongly behind him. One of them said, "We expected him to contest from BJP, but he was betrayed. On the very first day, around 150 people gathered outside his residence without any call. From youths to elderly citizens, everyone supports him. We want him to fight, and we are fully with him."

Highlighting local issues, the supporter added: "Dispur faces problems like artificial floods, drinking water shortages, and poor governance. People feel neglected, and this election is about raising those concerns."

The BJP has ruled out any impact of Jayanta's rebellion.
"Das is a senior leader. He has served the party for a long time. But he should have resolved issue within the party. For a BJP individual, whoever it is, is not that important, we are all karyakartas and we all work for the party. Pradyut Bordoloi  is very experienced candidate and we are sure he will win," said Rupam Goswami, Assam BJP's chief spokesperson.

With strong rhetoric, internal dissent, and shifting loyalties, the Dispur constituency is now set for a gripping three-cornered electoral battle that could significantly impact Assam's political landscape.