Assam BJP tells party workers to prepare for panchayat polls

GUWAHATI: The BJP has asked its cadres in Assam to prepare for panchayat polls, which are likely to be held in December and give the party an opportunity to evaluate people’s response to its one-year-old rule in the state ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

The party in a meeting held recently told its workers to be careful while they speak in public. Recently, the state BJP faced an embarrassing situation when one of its Lok Sabha members, RP Sharma, alleged that a section of ministers in the BJP-led government in Assam received kickbacks for allocating works.

The Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), a BJP ally, is set to contest the local body polls on its own. AGP president Atul Bora said grassroots workers of the party wanted it to go alone. A final decision on this will be made on October 14 at a party meeting in Duliajan, said Bora, who is also the state agriculture minister.

Meanwhile, around 900 office bearers and workers of the BJP assembled in Guwahati recently to discuss the plans for the panchayat polls. State BJP president Ranjeet Kumar Dass, chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal, finance minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and party national general secretary Ram Lal attended the meeting.

"The BJP has asked the cadres to take to people the work done by the state government and counter opposition’s propaganda," a senior party leader said.

The party has decided also to contest the election to the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC), currently ruled by the Bodoland People’s Front, which is its ally in the state government.

“We have contested the council elections in Dima Hasao and Karbi Anglong. We will take part in the BTC election and win,” state BJP president Dass said.