With the announcement of elections in Assam and several other states, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) has said it will largely contest the upcoming polls in Assam independently.
Addressing a press conference on Monday, TMC Assam president Sushmita Dev said that although two major alliances exist in the state, her party has decided to fight the elections on its own strength while also exploring tie-ups with a few smaller parties.
Sushmita Dev stated that for 51 constituencies, a total of 78 aspirants have applied for party tickets. The list has already been submitted to the party's central leadership, which will soon take the final decision. She announced that the party will release its list of candidates on March 18.
Raising questions over the election schedule, Sushmita Dev alleged that there appears to be a connection between the Election Commission and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. "It has never happened before that Amit Shah concludes an event in Guwahati at 3 pm and the Election Commission holds a press conference at 4 pm," she said.
According to Sushmita Dev, the BJP wants to complete the election process before the Bihu festival. She claimed that this time the festival may take place "without Zubeen Da," referring to singer Zubeen Garg, and alleged that the ruling party wants to avoid political complications over the issue surrounding him during the festive period.
Targeting the ruling BJP government in the state, Sushmita Dev said the government led by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has failed to fulfil nearly 80 percent of the promises made in its vision document. She also alleged that the government has failed to implement the Assam Accord properly and claimed that recent eviction drives were not carried out in accordance with legal procedures.
"The Chief Minister is making false promises only to secure votes. We want a debate with him on the previous vision document. The people of Assam must decide whether they want to support the BJP's false promises," Sushmita Dev said.
She further claimed that the Trinamool Congress is stronger than the parties led by Lurinjyoti Gogoi and Akhil Gogoi, citing data from the Election Commission. Although the party is not part of the opposition alliance, she said TMC will contest in a limited number of seats so that the BJP cannot benefit electorally.
Meanwhile, TMC leader Dulu Ahmed said the party's main political opponent is the BJP. "We will not field candidates randomly. In constituencies where Congress or opposition alliance candidates have a strong chance of winning, we will refrain from fielding candidates," he said.
Dulu Ahmed also avoided commenting on Zubeen Garg, saying that speaking on the matter at this stage may be seen as politicising the issue. However, he added that if a new government is formed, the party will continue to raise its voice and hold protests seeking justice in connection with the matter involving the singer.
He further said that the Trinamool Congress will raise issues such as the ST status demand of the Koch-Rajbongshi community and the concerns of Adivasi communities in Parliament, especially if the party performs well in Assam.
