Imported leaders; confidence crisis in BJP

Assembly polls are on the threshold. Dreams are back for sale. Mercury goes up, up and up in the pre poll political landscape. All parties are gearing up for the show early next year. Precisely, BJP is taking an early lead in terms of strategy. The write up will confine to BJP’s poll bugle only. With a grand plan to keep Congress at bay, dozens of central leaders and ministers keep visiting the poll bound state every week. Even Amit Shah has visited the state twice since he took over as party president. The ruling party at the Centre is a store house of talents and strategy these days. The mission 84 is already in force. But the central leadership lacks confidence. What fear strikes the leadership nine months ahead of the polls? 

A close observation of the on going scheme of things really suggests a not –so-encouraging prospect. As of now, the party is full of imported assets. Dozens of AGP leaders have joined the party during the last one year. A circle of Congress and student leaders is in touch with the leadership. These leaders, mostly, are said to be the non performing assets for the regional party since they lost the last assembly polls. Their future is blighted with frustration. Caught in the crisis of confidence, they had hardly any option but to quit AGP. Ideology does not a matter here. Just they joined BJP to contest riding piggyback on the ruling party at the Centre. 

Till the other day, they were the advocates regionalism slamming Congress and BJP accusing the national parties of doing precious little for Assam and its neighbouring states.  Once they have seen their career at the dead-end the option is BJP. Is it an ideology? These AGP leaders were instrumental in forging poll pacts with BJP in the last two assembly polls only to grab power at the cost of BJP. Do they have a stand? With what faith on regionalism ideology Chandra Mohan Patowary was presiding over AGP? If regionalism was the mantra with Sarbananda Sonowal why he joined BJP? He was followed by stalwarts like Hiten Chandra Goswami, Jagadish Bhuyan, Pulakesh Baruah et al who deserted the sinking ship. That too just a year ahead of the assembly polls. Irony is that they enjoyed plum portfolios during the Mahanta regime.  All they are believed to have joined BJP after they were assured of tickets to contest the polls. Isn’t it a politics of opportunism?  

With most of these non performing or rejected leaders, BJP is fighting the polls. There is nothing to be strange if one of these leaders quits BJP if he is not allowed to contest. A section of state BJP leaders claims to have been in touch with some senior Congress and AASU leaders. The entire picture would emerge clear in a next couple of weeks. If it so happens, the loser would be BJP. The emergency of four regional party has already threatened to divide the any Congress sentiments. That’s why, despite dissidence Congress keeps waiting and watching before finetuning the strategy to retain Dispur for the fourth consecutive term. Is it so?