Staff Reporter
ITANAGAR, Mar 22: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) declared the names of its candidates for the remaining six assembly constituencies on Thursday, prompting sitting Itanagar MLA Techi Kaso to resign from the party.
Without mincing any word, Kaso in his resignation letter cited the denial of party ticket as the reason for his resignation.
Speaking to reporters after his resignation, Kaso said, “I do not know why I was denied the party ticket. The recommendations from here were good, but I don’t know what happened in Delhi. I gave my all to the party ever since I had joined it, and kept faith in it till the very end. I did not expect such injustice from the party.”
Kaso informed that he will now be contesting for the Itanagar seat on a Janata Dal (United) ticket.
“All the parties are good, and it isn’t only about the party, but about the people in them. I feel that the JD (U) is a good party, and so do all my supporters, which is why I have chosen to contest from it,” he said.
On his prospects of winning the election, Kaso said, “The people here have the sensibility and know who and how their leaders are. The people will decide what kind of leader they want to represent them.”
Several other party leaders and workers supporting Kaso also resigned from the BJP on the same day. More are expected to follow suit.
On receiving the BJP ticket for the Itanagar seat, former MLA Kipa Babu said his “good track record” earned him the ticket.
“When I was the MLA from 2004 to 2009, I made sure that law and order was well-maintained. The people’s trust in me may have prompted the party leaders to give me the BJP ticket,” he said.
While Babu said the exit of several BJP leaders was their individual decision, he appealed to all workers and leaders of the party to trust the party’s leadership and work together to make sure that the BJP comes out victorious in the 2019 elections.
Meanwhile, state BJP vice president Tame Phassang, who was one of the main contenders for the ticket for the Itanagar seat, said he supports the party’s decision to select Babu as its candidate. Phassang assured to continue to work for the party, and said he would extend his support to Babu.
