Assam Minister Sanjay Kishan on Saturday alleged that Congress party leaders were irked after BJP fielded a son of a tea labourer coming from a humble background in the Behali Assembly seat for the upcoming by-elections.

Kishan targeted Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi, saying: “Congress leaders are unhappy as the BJP gave a ticket to Diganta Ghatowar, a tea garden community member with a very humble background. The Congress does not want such a person to be elected in the assembly and therefore the opposition party has been giving maximum importance to defeat Ghatowar here.”

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He added that five seats are going to bypolls in the next week; however, Gaurav Gogoi has been campaigning only in Behali. “This is because he is upset with BJP fielding Diganta Ghatowar in this constituency,” he claimed.

He also alleged that Congress was reluctant in the development of the tea garden community when the party was in power in the state.

“In the last eight years of the BJP government in Assam, the situation in tea garden areas has immensely improved. We have built schools, and hospitals for the garden community people which were ignored by Congress leaders,” Kishan said, adding that the voters of Behali will never forget the past ill-treatment of the Congress party towards the tea garden community people.

By-elections in five assembly constituencies—Dholai, Samaguri, Behali, Bongaigaon, and Sidli became due following the elections of five legislators in the lower house of the parliament in this year’s Lok Sabha polls.

Except in Samaguri, where Congress heavyweight Rakibul Hussain has been winning since 2001, the rest of the four seats are with the BJP-led alliance. According to pollsters, due to the dominance of Muslim voters in the Samaguri seat, Congress has an edge over the BJP in this seat.

The BJP fielded candidates for three seats—Dholai, Samaguri and Behali.

Diplu Ranjan Sarma has been given a ticket in Samaguri while Diganta Ghatowar and Nihar Ranjan Das will fight for the BJP in Behali and Dholai assembly segments respectively.

BJP’s two allies—Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and United People’s Party Liberal (UPPL) are contesting polls in Bongaigaon and Sidli assembly constituencies.