Congress Sees Record Ticket Aspirants Ahead Of Assam Elections

The main opposition party in poll-bound Assam, Congress, has got a tailwind with a sudden rush of ticket aspirants, with about 300 people filing their applications for a party ticket on Monday. It is an all-time single-day record for Congress, party sources said.

Several sitting MLAs and senior Congress leaders were among those who submitted their application forms.

Tuesday is the last date for submission of applications.

Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) treasurer Hemahari Pegu informed that more than 600 ticket aspirants have so far submitted applications for various constituencies.

Among those who submitted their applications were former minister Pranati Phukan, MLAs Wazed Ali Choudhury, Pradip Sarkar and Abdul Baten Khandkar, former MLA Rozlina Tirkey, and senior Congress leaders Benu Nath, Gopal Sharma, Utpal Gogoi, Deep Bayan, Ajay Gogoi and Manoranjan Buragohain.

Other leaders included Pallavi Saikia, Bidisha Neog, Palakshi Das, Ratul Kalita, Ratul Patowary, Luit Kumar Barman, Kridip Barman, Tanzil Hussain, Mohsin Khan and Jeherul Islam.

The elections to the 126-member Assam Assembly are expected to take place in the next few months along with Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and West Bengal.

Last week, top Congress leaders held a key strategy meeting on Assam assembly polls with senior observers and the state leadership. The meeting took place at the 10, Rajaji Marg residence of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge in Delhi, where former party chief Rahul Gandhi was also present.

Congress senior observers Bhupesh Baghel and DK Shivakumar were also present at the meeting, besides AICC general secretary, Organisation, KC Venugopal, Assam Congress president Gaurav Gogoi and the party's AICC general secretary in-charge Jitendra Singh.

The Congress is seeking to retain power in Assam, where it has been kept out of power by the BJP for the last two consecutive terms.