With assembly polls around the corner, the BJP on Thursday suffered a blow when lost the control over North Cachar Hills Autonomous Council to Congress.
The control over the NC Hills changed hands as Chief Executive Member Niranjan Hojai resigned from his post thereby facilitating the takeover of the council by Congress.
Hojai is a former militant, who had joined the saffron party last year. His resignation came only a day after the BJP president Amit Shah said that his party will oust the ruling Congress in the assembly elections.
Hojoi stepped down from his post just hours before a no-confidence motion was scheduled to be brought in against him.
The BJP had formed the government in the NC Hills under Hojoi last year after 10 out of 16 Congress members switched allegiance.
However, within three months these members returned back to Congress fold leaving the BJP-led government in minority.
The other hill district autonomous council – Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council – is already controlled by Congress, while the Bodoland Territorial Council is under control of Bodo People’s Front, which recently left the Congress-led alliance to join hands with the BJP.
“Today’s development has brought down curtains on a weeks-long uncertainty that had gripped the Council as also all development works in the hill district. The new Council will be formed after the members elected a new chief executive member on Saturday,” Ngamrothang Hmar, Chairman of the Council was quoted by goassam.com.
Between them the two hill districts have five assembly constituencies, all of them held by the Congress in the current state assembly.