Assam Congress faces setback in Dhing as 21 panchayat representatives join BJP

The Congress suffered a major setback in Assam’s Dhing ahead of the Nagaon Lok Sabha by-election, with around 21 elected panchayat representatives and more than 100 Congress leaders and workers joining the BJP at a major election meeting in the constituency.

The BJP organised a large election rally at Dhupguri, a minority-dominated area of Dhing development block, as part of its campaign for the Nagaon Lok Sabha by-election. The meeting was attended by more than 10,000 people, according to organisers.

A notable feature of the rally was Minister Pijush Hazarika’s appeal to minority voters in their own language. While Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has often taken a tough political position on what he refers to as “Miya” votes, Hazarika addressed minority men and women in the Miya dialect while seeking their support for the BJP.

The mass joining of Congress functionaries was another key highlight of the meeting. Around 21 panchayat-level public representatives under the Dhing Development Block, along with more than a hundred Congress leaders and workers, formally joined the BJP.

The meeting was attended by Hazarika, Nagaon MLA Rupak Sarma, Shibu Mishra, former Nagaon MP Pradyut Bordoloi and prospective BJP candidate for the Nagaon Lok Sabha by-election Debashish Sharma.

The BJP has stepped up its campaign in Nagaon ahead of the by-election, with the party seeking to consolidate its organisational strength across the constituency, particularly in areas where minority voters play a decisive role.

The rally in Dhing also underlined the BJP’s attempt to reach out to minority voters while simultaneously expanding its organisational base through defections from the Congress.