BJP drops sitting MLA Ajay Kumar Rai, fields Arup Kumar Dey for Assam's Bijni seat

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has dropped sitting MLA Ajay Kumar Rai from the Bijni Assembly constituency in Chirang district of Assam and named Arup Kumar Dey as its candidate for the upcoming elections.

Reacting to the decision, Ajay Kumar Rai expressed dissatisfaction over the party’s choice and questioned the selection process. He alleged that a candidate with pending criminal cases had been preferred over him despite his record.

Rai claimed that during an earlier meeting, when Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had reportedly asked Arup Kumar Dey about pending cases, the latter had acknowledged having six cases against him. He said that despite this, the party decided to field Dey from Bijni.

He further stated that the decision was taken “with the consent of the people and party workers,” while also indicating disappointment over not receiving the ticket despite what he described as a clean record during his tenure.