Congress first list for Assam polls likely by February-end: Gaurav Gogoi

Gaurav Gogoi on February 18 said the first list of Congress candidates for the upcoming Assam Assembly elections is likely to be released by the end of this month.

Addressing a press conference, the Assam Congress president said the party aims to complete the screening process at the earliest. “We have been asked by the central leadership to ensure that the first list is out by the end of this month,” he said, adding that around 80 candidates are expected to be finalised in the initial phase.

The announcement comes ahead of the visit of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra to Assam for a two-day tour starting Thursday. Gogoi said Vadra, who is in charge of Assam, will participate in a series of party meetings and hold discussions with members of the screening committee for the Assembly elections.

He informed that Vadra will meet office-bearers of the Congress, senior All India Congress Committee (AICC) observers, political affairs committee members, MLAs, district presidents, frontal organisation leaders, and MPs. She will also attend meetings of the screening committee along with senior party leaders.

The Congress-led opposition alliance in the state is also expected to contest the elections on a common platform, Gogoi said, indicating that seat-sharing discussions are underway among alliance partners.

The 126-member Assam Assembly is likely to go to polls in March-April. At present, the ruling BJP has 64 MLAs, while its allies Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) has nine, United People’s Party Liberal (UPPL) seven, and one from an Independent legislator aligned with the ruling side. The Congress currently has 26 MLAs, the All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) has 15, and there is one Independent legislator in the opposition camp.