Nagaon, April 18: The Congress will not issue tickets to two chargesheeted elected members of the Dima Hasao Autonomous Council though the duo are keen on contesting the upcoming election.

The duo — former chief executive member Debulal Hojai and executive member in Hojai’s council, Galan Daulogupu — are veteran politicians and were ASDC leaders before they shifted to the Congress after the 2008 fall of the Mohet Hojai-led council.

A Congress source today said both would not get tickets as it was against “party policy” and nobody within the party felt that depriving them of tickets could do any harm to the party’s election prospects. “There should be a gap and Congress intends to maintain that,” the source said.

Hojai is seeking a ticket from Wajao constituency, where, as an ASDC candidate, he had defeated the Congress’s Dikesh Hojai in 2007.

Daulogupu, who was chargesheeted and later convicted by the NIA, is currently in judicial custody. He was elected as an ASDC candidate from Hadingma defeating the Congress’s Kontolal Kemprai.

“Debulal has already collected and submitted the application form but no representative of Daulogupu has visited the party office so far with any request on behalf of the convicted member,” said a Dima Hasao district Congress committee source.

According to the source, six leaders, along with Hojai, are seeking tickets from Wajao, while former party candidate Dikesh Hojai has already made it clear that he will not contest this time.

“The party is having problems issuing tickets after all the elected ASDC and BJP members shifted to the Congress in almost all the constituencies. On one hand, there are the senior leaders who have made major contributions to the party and on the other there are the newcomers. But this can be tackled within the party without any dissidence,” the source said.

Election to the 11th Dima Hasao Autonomous Council will be held on May 20.

While April 26 is the last date of submitting nominations, counting will take place on May 24.

Though the Congress initially had three members in the 28-member 10th council, in which ASDC had topped the list with 16 members and BJP coming second with nine, later, the party’s strength went up to 27 after members of other parties, except former chief executive member Mohet Hojai, joined it.

Debulal Hojai was the first person and BJP leader Kulen Daologupu (Hatikhali constituency) was the last to shift to the Congress.