GUWAHATI: A section of discontented BJP karyakartas (workers) of South West Garo Hills district have accused BJP national spokesperson and Meghalaya in-charge, Nalin Kohli of playing a role in denying Bakul Chandra Hajong a ticket to contest the Ampati bypoll.
“Even though tomorrow is the last day of campaigning, we will not allow Nalin Kohli to come to Ampati and hold a meeting as we feel that it was because of his interference that our candidate, Bakul Hajong, who was sure to win, was denied a ticket by BJP to contest the bypoll,” Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha mandal president, Sanjib Koch told The Shillong Times on Friday.
The BJP workers had a meeting in this regard recently and decided not to welcome Kohli to Ampati.
The Meghalaya Democratic Alliance has put up a consensus candidate, Clement G Momin of NPP to take on former chief minister’s daughter, Miani D Shira of Congress.
Ampati will see a triangular fight, with Independent, Subhankar Koch, also in the fray.
“As a mark of protest, we will not support the MDA candidate which BJP is backing, Instead, we will rally behind Independent candidate, Subhankar Koch,” Koch said.
Electioneering in the “prestigious” South West Garo Hills constituency, a Congress bastion for over two decades, has reached fever pitch with an incident of violence in which a youth was allegedly assaulted, reported on Thursday.
The top brass from the ruling party at the Centre and as well as from the state are in Ampati to campaign for NPP candidate while Congress too has had star campaigners joining the supporters in the constituency.
Koch said there were at least 300 BJP karyakartas in Ampati with a majority of them campaigning for the Independent candidate.
Meghalaya PCC general secretary, John F Kharshiing had on Thursday told this correspondent that the supporters of Bakul Hajong were demoralised after BJP denied him a ticket at the eleventh hour.
Hajong, who had camped in Shillong for a few days, was kept in suspense till the decision to field the MDA consensus candidate was made, just a few days before the last day of filing of nominations during the second week of May.
A former sericulture director, Hajong had contested the Assembly election in February but lost to Mukul Sangma.
