Guwahati, March 31: Dynastic politics may not have been witnessed in Assam”s earlier elections, but it has become a dominant feature in the 2011 Assembly polls with 26 kins of political leaders throwing their hats in the poll ring.
The ruling Congress has fielded maximum number of relatives of party leaders with 14 wives, sons, daughters, daughters-in-law and even brothers battling it out along with aunts and cousins of other parties to enter the Assembly.
The BJP is more or less an exception fielding just one such candidate – a son of a late leader.
“We do not believe in dynastic politics, but have given a ticket to a son who has been found to be worthy of contesting on his own merit,” said BJP state unit president Ranjit Dutta.
The BJP has given ticket to Rajdeep Roy, a doctor by profession, and son of late BJP MLA Bimalangshu Roy, for the Silchar seat, who is locked in a contest with Sushmita Dev, the daughter of Congress heavyweight Santosh Mohan Dev.
In the last polls, the Silchar seat, considered to be Dev family”s fiefdom, was represented by former Union Minister”s wife Bithika Dev.
In the Barak Valley, another Congress son and sitting MLA of Algapur constituency Rahul Roy has been renominated by the party. Rahul is the son of Excise and Social Welfare Minister Gautam Roy.
The party has also given the ticket for the first time to Debabrata Saikia, son of former Chief Minister Hiteswar Saikia, from Nazira which was earlier represented by his mother Hemoprova Saikia who lost in 2006.
Assam Pradesh Congress President Bhubaneswar Kalita said it is not that the Congress give tickets to kins blindly and almost all party candidates have worked their way up from the grassroot level.
“We not only look into their background but also into their achievements and their ability to win which decides selection of a candidate. Being merely a Congress leader”s wife, son or daughter does not mean a poll ticket is assured,” he said.
Tourism and Forest Minister Rockybul Hussain, contesting for the third successive term from Samaguri constituency, is the son of late Congress minister Nurul Hussain.
The Congress has nominated three other sons – sitting MLA from Mariani Rupjyoti Kurmi, son of first tea tribe woman minister late Rupam Kurmi, Klengdun Engti, son of sitting Diphu MP Biren Singh Engti from Bokajan and Chrisostum Tudu, son of former Minister Mithias Tudu from Gossaigaon.
——-PTI