This Article is From Jul 07, 2014

Tarun Gogoi Seems Not Confident of Leading Congress in 2016 Assam Polls

Tarun Gogoi Seems Not Confident of Leading Congress in 2016 Assam Polls

File photo of Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi

New Delhi: With dissidence against his leadership continuing, Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi seems not confident in leading Congress in 2016 assembly polls in the state as he said today it was not important who will lead the party in polls but the party's win.

"It is not important who will lead the party. The Congress will win the election again. That is more important," he told reporters when asked whether he will lead the party in the Assam assembly elections to be held in 2016.
    
After the dismal show by Congress in Assam in the last Lok Sabha polls, dissidents have stepped up their activities in the state with 45 of the 77 Congress MLAs reportedly demanding leadership change.

Congress had last fortnight had sent senior leader Mallikarjun Kharge to asses the political situation in Assam and he submitted a report to the AICC after talking to a cross section of Congress leaders in the state.
    
"I am not hankering after any post," a visibly irritated Mr Gogoi said when asked about the dissidence.
    
Asked about the prospects of Congress in Assam, Mr Gogoi said he had seen the party's worst days -- in 1977 (after the Emergency) and 1985 (after AGP assumed power for the first time) and the present situation was far better than those days.
    
The Congress got just three seats out of 14 in the recent Lok Sabha polls while the BJP bagged seven.
    
"BJP's wave has already started declining. The BJP wave is not up, BJP wave is down," he said.
    
The Chief Minister today met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and discussed with him various issues concerning the state.
    
Asked how different Mr Modi was from the former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Mr Gogoi said they were different persons and cannot be compared.
    
"I have to deal with a different regime," he said.
 

.