Assam election: BJP expels Dilip Paul, 14 others for contesting as Independent Candidates

Ahead of assembly polls in Assam, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday expelled 15 of its leaders, including former deputy speaker Dilip Kumar Paul for a period of six years for going against the party decision and contesting the polls as independents.

BJP state general secretary Rajdeep Roy said the party's Assam chief Ranjeet Kumar Dass has approved the disciplinary action with immediate effect.

Besides Paul, Rao Gajendra Singh, Naoboisha, Priyanka Neog, Chabua, Laksheshwar Moran, Doomdooma, Tarun Sahu, Dhekiajuli, Theba Singh, Lakhipur, Ashish Haldar, Sonai, Kshitish Ranjan Paul, Hailakandi, Ram Kumar Nunia, Katlichera, Manoj Mahan Deb, Hailakandi, Seema Engtipi, Baithalangshu, Hemanta Adhikari, Borsola, Debajit Moran, Doomdooma, Rajesh Kishan, Doomdooma, and Dilip Bay, Diphu are the ones who have been expelled from the saffron party. 

PM Modi addresses rally in Assam 

Meanwhile, BJP has left no stone unturned to bolster its chances in the upcoming elections. On Thursday, PM Modi took charge of the election campaign and in a scathing attack on the United Progressive Alliance (UPA), said that their strategies have socially, economically, politically, and geographically impacted Assam. 

"The Sarbananda Sonowal government has uplifted the people from that miserable condition, and has brought them here in 2021, when Assam just like the other states, is on its way to development," he said reminiscing the poor condition of Assam in 2016. "For trivial work, the people do not have to travel to far of regions as was the case before 2016, because the government has come up with public offices in all area," he added. 

Talking about the poor state of the road and railway connectivity in 2016, he pointed out that people used to travel for hours and days at a stretch to reach the destination, but now that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government has worked on it, the connectivity in the area has considerably improved.

He also touched upon the gas connectivity in Assam and pointed out that the government has worked and will continue to work to bring gas connectivity all across the State. He went on to list out the number of schools, colleges and hospitals established during the BJP regime and promised that the number would keep increasing if the party is voted to power. 

"The BJP government has always kept the upliftment of the country, as their main aim, and will also always work with that aim in mind," he added. 

Assam polls

Assembly elections Assam is set to take place in three phases, from March 27 to April 6. Results will be declared on May 2. The 15-year tenure of Tarun Gogoi as the Chief Minister of Assam came to an end in the 2016 Assembly polls with BJP winning 86 seats as against 26 seats won by Congress. In a blow for BJP in the lead-up to the upcoming Assembly election, its ally Bodoland People's Front (BPF) decided to join the Congress-led alliance. Meanwhile, the opposition has stitched a strong alliance with Congress, BPF, AGM, AIUDF, CPI, CPI(M), and CPI(ML) joining hands.