'Congress in talks with Sushmita Dev, everything to be sorted soon'

GUWAHATI: Pradyut Bordoloi, sitting MP and former Minister in the Tarun Gogoi Cabinet, today informed that the party is in talks with "disgruntled" Sushmita Dev -- who is threatening to resign following disagreements with the leadership.

 

Talking to scribes outside a hotel where final discussions are going on, Bordoloi said, "We have taken note of the concerns and are in talks with Sushmita. All will be sorted out."

 

Dev, apparently unhappy with the Congress-AIUDF seat-sharing discussions., wants to tender her resignation to former party president Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi.

 

Congress workers from the Barak Valley are reportedly miffed at the party's decision to hand several key strongholds to alliance partner All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF).

 

If reports are to be believed, former minister and Congress leader Siddique Ahmed — who lost to the AIUDF candidate in 2016 — wants his party to hold onto his former Constituency.

 

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“Ahmed — like Sushmita Dev — is disgruntled at the ongoing seat-sharing process with the AIUDF. He has said that if his demand is not met, he will not hesitate to walk out,” a source informed InsideNE.

 

In the 2016 Assembly election, the AIUDF’s Aziz Ahmed Khan won the Assembly seat in a narrow battle receiving 58,060 votes compared to the Congress’ Siddique Ahmed, who got 53,644 votes.

 

In the 2011 Assembly election, Siddique Ahmed, with 45,395 votes, swatted aside a challenge from the IATC’s Ekbal Hussain, who got a mere 22,282 votes.

 

The Assam Assembly polls will be held to elect a total of 126 Members of the Assam Legislative Assembly.

 

According to early reports, the Congress-led grand alliance partner All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) will contest from 24 seats in the Assam assembly elections to be held in three phases from March 27 to April 6.