The Barak Democratic Front (BDF) has appealed for the inclusion of a legislator from Silchar in the new Council of Ministers ahead of the formation of the government in Assam, scheduled for May 12.

Addressing media persons on Sunday, BDF Chief Convener Pradip Dutta Roy extended advance congratulations to the new government and expressed hope that it would address long-pending issues of the Barak Valley and the Bengalis in the state.

Raising concern over representation, Roy stated that no MLA elected from Silchar has been inducted into the state cabinet for the last 42 years.

In this regard, he said that neither the Congress, AGP, or BJP governments of the past took any initiative. According to him, Jagdish Choudhury was the last minister from Silchar in 1983, and since then no one from the city has been given such responsibility.

Pradip Dutta Roy further said that Silchar is the second-largest city in Assam in terms of population and has a rich historical legacy.

Referring to recent developments, he said that although Dilip Kumar Paul and Dipayan Chakraborty were elected as MLAs in Silchar in previous terms, neither was included in the Cabinet.

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He also mentioned that the son of late Bimalangshu Roy, one of the key architects of the BJP's rise in Assam, has now been elected from Silchar. "Therefore, as a mark of respect toward him and the voters of Barak Valley, they are appealing for the inclusion of Silchar's MLA in the new ministry," the BDF Chief Convener said.

Roy said that while the BJP has formed government in West Bengal and made commitments on development, industrialization, and employment generation, similar attention should be given to what he described as the concerns of nearly 9 million Bengalis in Assam.