Bijoya loyalists seethe, stage demonstrations in Assam

The BJP’s decision to nominate Bhupen Hazarika for the prestigious Guwahati constituency has led to much heartburn within the party’s state unit. Protesting the decision, supporters of Guwahati MP and Union Minister of State for Water Resources Bijoya Chakravarty staged demonstrations at the party office last week. They were agitated by a news report originating from New Delhi which quoted senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley as saying that internal assessments made by the party had shown that she would be a disaster in the ensuing elections. Chakravarty has been clearly told by Jaitley that the party had finalised Hazarika’s name for Guwahati, and that she would not be renominated. Earlier, reports had said that the party might ask her to shift to Mangaldoi, a constituency where Chakravarty had worked as a college teacher for nearly three decades before joining active politics. ‘‘I am not prepared to contest from any other constituency and will abide by the decision of the party,’’ Chakravarty said.