BJP list: The frustration of being ‘Chowkidar’ Himanta Biswa Sarma

It’s not easy being ‘Chowkidar’ Himanta Biswa Sarma. For years now, he has been the nearly CM of Assam, a man patiently waiting for his turn to come, putting on a brave face every time he’s asked to make way for someone else.

As his supporters waited for the BJP to announce its list for Lok Sabha candidates from Assam, the news of last-minute cancellation of Sarma’s candidature from Tezpur seat came as a shocker to everyone. The state unit was told by BJP president Amit Shah that the party cannot afford to let Sarma remain “confined to a particular seat”. Sarma, who is also the convener of North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA), was rather told to concentrate on all the 25 parliamentary seats across the region.

Last Thursday, Shah made it official on Twitter. “BJP functionaries from Assam had mooted Sarma’s name for Tezpur seat, but the central leadership has requested him to concentrate on his responsibilities as NEDA convenor. We request everyone to accept the decision in the larger interest of the party.”

Any other man may have started to sulk, but Sarma knows he can’t afford to do that and take refuge in some other party, like he did in 2015 – left the Congress to join the BJP. There is no other party in Assam as comfortably placed as the BJP is at the moment. So, he said: “I humbly accept your decision… Northeast [BJP unit] too won’t disappoint you.”

Until a few days back, Sarma, who is now known outside Assam as the man behind BJP’s turnaround in the Northeast, was more than sure of contesting from Tezpur. “Everything was in place. We couldn’t be more dejected with the high command’s decision,” said a senior Assam BJP functionary and Sarma supporter.

Why Sarma’s name was dropped

Some within the state BJP are now speculating that BJP general secretary and the party’s Northeast in-charge, Ram Madhav, has a played a major role. They believe Madhav, of late, wasn’t very pleased with Sarma’s growing clout in the party and “direct access to Amit Shah”. According to a BJP leader from Sonitpur district, “Some senior leaders from Delhi are feeling insecure. But we were preparing to celebrate his victory from Tezpur.” Tezpur Lok Sabha constituency is seen as a safe seat for the BJP with all seven Assembly seats in the district and Panchayats in the BJP’s kitty.

Another Sarma supporter told The Federal that it could be a way of the party bosses to tell Sarma not to cross his brief. “Amit Shah had no reason to deny him a ticket based on what Sarma has done for the party in the entire region… something happened at the last minute,” he said. Party insiders said the BJP’s central committee was so impressed with Sarma’s work that it had offered him to “pick” any seat to contest from. However, when Sarma chose Tezpur, sitting MP Ram Prasad Sarmah quit the BJP in protest. When Shah came to know about the infighting within the party, he is said to have had second thoughts about fielding Himanta Sarma.

RP Sarmah said he felt “humiliated” after his name did not find place in panel set up by the state BJP committee. “My association with the RSS started in 1976. I’m a sitting MP and the President of Assam Gorkha Sammelan. Assam has 26 lakh Gorkhas… I felt humiliated when my name was not sent,” he told mediapersons after resigning. Although Sarmah, a senior RSS functionary, said he might reconsider his decision and would contest if the party gives him ticket, when nothing of the sort happened he said he would rather form a new party with other disgruntled members of the BJP after May 23.

Yet another bunch of Himanta Biswa Sarma supporters from his Assembly constituency of Jalukbari (Guwahati) put the blame squarely on Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal. “This is not new. Himanta Biswa Sarma is a highly efficient administrator. He is very well respected for his work across the state. It is Sarma who puts in all the hard work and others reap the benefits,” a former Congress colleague of Sarma said.

While attempts to reach him on his phone have been unsuccessful, it is believed Sarma had made up his mind to go to New Delhi and become the face of Northeast before returning to Assam as Chief Minister in the next Assembly polls. “Look at Kiren Rijiju from Arunachal Pradesh. Why can’t the party give Sarma what he rightfully deserves?” questioned the same leader from Sonitpur, adding that the party’s “excuse” that Sarma has larger responsibility to shoulder was “too lame”.

“They say Sarma can’t be confined to a particular seat. So he shouldn’t contest the election. If that is the case, why is the national BJP president or the Prime Minister contesting? They have bigger responsibilities across the country.”

History repeats

If it was disappointing for his supporters, for Sarma, it was deja vu. During Assam Assembly elections in 2016, Sarma had to step aside for Sonowal under similar circumstances. The BJP made him the campaign committee convener while Sonowal was declared the CM candidate. The party went on to win the elections for the first time in the state.The BJP, which until then had no prominent faces in Assam, saw in Sarma a big catch who had quit the Congress in 2015 after a major fallout with former CM Tarun Gogoi. Sarma was miffed with the Congress for giving Lok Sabha ticket to Gogoi’s son Gaurav.

Soon after the election dates were announced earlier this month, the BJP leader had assured Narendra Modi on Twitter that “Northeast is high on josh”. “We believe it’s ‘apna time’ for us…”

But with the recent turn of events, it seems the BJP’s favourite boy in Assam will have to remain content playing at the gully for now.