Silchar, Jan 6 : The BJP, which received a jolt in North Cachar Hills district on December 21 when the Autonomous State Demand Committee (ASDC), snapped ties with it, was in for another shock yesterday when five of its remaining seven councillors quit the party.

The five councillors who quit yesterday are Debajit Thaosen, Subrata Hojai, Bakul Boro, Nipulal Hojai and Namsei Hengna.

The development took place in the district party unit at a time when its top leadership was busy assessing the impact of the quitting of Hamjanan Langthasa, a councillor and a BJP key leader, late last month. Langthasa later joined the Congress.

The five who quit have not yet spelt out if they would follow Langthasa’s example and join the Congress.

The alliance between the ASDC and the BJP broke down last month after an official investigation reportedly exposed the “siphoning of a few crores of rupees from the council coffers to the kitty of the Jewel Gorosa-led breakaway faction of the DHD.”

The misappropriation took place when Dipolal Hojai was the chief executive councillor (CEM) of the district council.

The BJP annexed eight seats in the 10th Autonomous District Council in its last election held in two phases on 26 November and 1 December last year.

The ASDC romped home with 13 seats and formed the ruling coalition by tying up with the BJP.

The Congress, which was the ruling power in the last district council, ended up winning only three seats in the 28-member council.