This is why Amit Shah had an unusual explanation for Himanta Sarma not contesting polls

In a statement, BJP chief Amit Shah said party had chosen not to make Himanta Biswa Sarma contest the polls given his responsibilities in not just Assam but the entire northeast.

File photo of Himanta Biswa Sarma | Facebook

New Delhi: As Bharatiya Janata Party’s first list of candidates for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls was announced Thursday evening, several aspirants were left disappointed. What, however, stood out was the party leadership’s very overt and public attempt to reach out to Himanta Biswa Sarma, a senior minister in Assam, and explain its decision to not field him.

According to highly placed sources in the party, this was an attempt to “prevent a backlash and pacify Sarma’s supporters in the state” who were rooting for him to get a ticket, while also clarifying “that he was crucial to the party and not make it seem like he didn’t have a say with the high command”.

In a statement issued late Thursday, BJP president Amit Shah said the party had chosen not to field Sarma, given his responsibilities as the chairman of the North-East Democratic Alliance (NEDA) and so he could focus on the region.

“The Assam election committee and workers had sent Himanta Biswa Sarma’s name to fight the Lok Sabha polls unanimously,” Shah tweeted. “But keeping in mind the responsibility of NEDA chairman and development of the entire north-east region, the central leadership has requested him to focus on his current responsibilities and contribute to making the party stronger in Assam and northeast.

“I hope that Assam BJP and the entire northeast will accept this decision of the party. I am confident that this decision will take Assam and the entire northeast towards the direction of development,” he added.

असम चुनाव समिति और असम के कार्यकर्ताओं ने श्री @himantabiswa जी का नाम लोकसभा चुनाव लड़ने के लिए सर्वसम्मति से भेजा था। pic.twitter.com/p71vEOQ7Xb

— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) March 21, 2019

Himanta ‘keen’ to contest but the party had other plans

According to sources in the party, Sarma was keen on fighting these polls from Tezpur as he wanted to enter national politics. The party, however, appears to have different plans for him.

“Sarma has been keen for a while to come to the centre and he has consistently conveyed this to the top leadership,” said a highly placed source in the party who did not wish to be identified. “He wanted to fight from the Tezpur Lok Sabha seat and had communicated this to Amit Shah.”

The leader, who quit the Congress to join the BJP in 2015 after an unpleasant and public spat, quickly rose to become the ruling party’s chief strategist not just in Assam but the entire northeast region.

Known for his political acumen and resourcefulness, Sarma holds several portfolios in the state and is often identified as the party’s face, even more than Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal. He is also credited for the BJP’s success in the region — where it had no traditional base but is now in power in six of the seven northeastern sisters.

“The central leadership — both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Amit Shah — were clear he was needed in the region. Northeast has been an integral part of their political and electoral expansion and Sarma is central to it,” the above source said.

“They conveyed to him that if he moved out of the region, it would hurt the party. He was also assured of an even bigger role in the state in the future.”

Sarma’s importance to the party leadership is even more pronounced now with BJP general secretary in-charge of the northeast Ram Madhav’s diminished presence and less than warm equations with the top command, especially Shah.

Shah’s conciliatory statement

Shah’s statement explaining why Sarma was denied a ticket surprised many but was meant to reach out to both the leader and his support base. The BJP president and Sarma are known to be close, with the former reposing significant trust in the Assam leader.

“His (Sarma’s) supporters were anyway rooting for him to get a ticket. It was important to prevent a backlash from there, ensure they don’t get angry and pacify them,” said another source in the party also on condition of anonymity. “Everyone had been hoping, if not expecting, that he will be fielded.”

Equally importantly, Sarma also did not want the wrong message to go out — of being snubbed and denied a ticket and not wielding any influence with the top leadership.

“It was also important to convey how crucial he is to the party. Plus, he did not want it to seem like he didn’t have a say with the high command, and the party leadership agreed with him,” the sourced added.