Congress faces dissent in Sonai over party granting ticket to ex-BJP MLA

Silchar: Congress is facing a major internal revolt in the Sonai assembly constituency of Cachar after the party named former BJP MLA Aminul Haque Laskar as its candidate, triggering resignations and open dissent from grassroots leaders.Within hours of the announcement, nine mandal Congress presidents from the Sonai block resigned from their posts as well as the party’s primary membership, alleging that the leadership ignored the views of local workers while finalising the candidate.The crisis unfolded after Congress released its list of candidates for 42 Assembly constituencies in Assam. The decision to field Laskar, who had earlier been associated with the BJP, sparked strong resentment among local Congress leaders and party workers.Registering their protest, the nine Mandal presidents submitted their resignation letters to Cachar district Congress president Sajal Acharya on Thursday evening.Those who resigned include Sonai Town mandal president Aminul Haque Choudhury, South Mohanpur mandal president Shahajan Ahmed Barbhuiya, Swadhin Bazar mandal president Jahir Ahmed Barbhuiya, Didarkhush mandal president Anfar Ali Barbhuiya, Bhaurikandi mandal president Nazrul Islam Ahmed, Kaptanpur mandal president Altaf Hossain Laskar, Kachudaram mandal president Abdul Haque Mazumder, Nagadirgram mandal president Mansur Hilal Laskar and Kazidahar mandal president Ekhlas Uddin Barbhuiya.The resigning leaders alleged that the party overlooked senior and loyal Congress workers who had been working for the organisation at the grassroots level for years and instead chose a leader who recently joined the party from another political outfit.They further claimed that the decision has weakened the organisational structure of Congress in Sonai and created widespread resentment among party workers and supporters. Under such circumstances, they said, it was not possible for them to continue in their positions.Meanwhile, district Congress president Sajal Acharya has reportedly initiated efforts to persuade the mandal presidents to withdraw their resignations and restore unity within the party ranks.However, political observers believe the number of resignations could rise as discontent continues to simmer within the Sonai Congress unit.Several party workers have also voiced their opposition to the candidature on social media. Adding to the controversy, Sonai assembly Youth Congress president Rakib Mazumder criticised the party leadership in a strongly worded social media post. He alleged that the hard work and loyalty of long-time Congress workers in the constituency had been “sold off” and warned that the youth of Sonai would not tolerate such politics.With dissent surfacing openly at the grassroots level, the developments are expected to influence the political dynamics in Sonai ahead of the upcoming elections.