BJP fields Rupak Sarmah from Nowgong LS seat

Guwahati, March 26 (IANS) The BJP has fielded MLA Rupak Sarmah to contest the coming general elections from the Nowgong Lok Sabha seat, despite Rajen Gohain, the sitting MP from the constituency, getting a clean chit against a rape case against him.

The decision was confirmed on Monday night by the Bharatiya Janata Party parliamentary board. Sarmah is a sitting BJP MLA from the Nowgong Sadar Assembly constituency.

Gohain has been winning from the Nowgong seat since 1999.

Gohain, who was inducted as a Union Minister of State for Railway in 2016, however, got himself entangled in a rape allegation last year.

An audio clip also went viral on social media of Gohain allegedly threatening the rape victim

Sarmah's confirmation on Monday night came despite the Gauhati High Court earlier in the day ruling in favour of Gohain regarding the case, setting aside a trial court order against him and also quashing pending proceedings.

"I have been involved with the BJP since the beginning and I cannot even think of leaving the party. However, I have realised now that there is a conspiracy against me. I know that neither I nor my wife was given the ticket to contest the polls this time. I abide by the decision of the party. Now my responsibility is to ensure victory of the candidate put forwarded by the BJP in the constituency," Gohain told the media on Tuesday.

Besides Gohain, the BJP in Assam has axed four other sitting Lok Sabha MPs -- Bijoya Chakravarty (Guwahati), Ramen Deka (Mangaldai), Kamakhya Prasad Tasa (Jorhat) and Ram Prasad Sarmah (Tezpur).