In what has come as great relief for the Congress party in the run-up to the Rajya Sabha elections, Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi has not only succeeded in persuading angry legislators of his party to vote for the party candidates, but has also managed to rope in five votes from outside the party.
Former minister and senior Congress MLA Anjan Dutta, who claimed the support of at least 25 legislators and opposed the selection of Santius Kujur for the second Rajya Sabha seat, on Saturday said, “We will caste our vote for the party candidates but our stand on wrongful selection of candidates remain the same.”
Mr Dutta, who had two rounds of meeting with Assam chief minister and AICC secretary Parvez Hashmi, said, “We never intended to harm the interest of the party but it is a fact that growing indiscipline was damaging the party. Soon after the Rajya Sabha elections, we will be meeting the party high command to apprise her as to how dissidence by a section of Congress ministers and legislators was harming the prospect of the party in the Congress-ruled state.”
Reiterating that all the tribal groups should be given equal opportunity and representation, Mr Dutta said, “My meeting with AICC secretary Parvez Hashmi was very cordial and fruitful. We have explained our concerns.”
Meanwhile, Mr Gogoi, who had meeting with several Independent legislators, indicated that they will get at least five votes from outside. He, however, refused to divulge names. Party sources said that Mr Gogoi is going to have a meeting with AICC secretary and union minister Pawan Singh Ghatowar on Sunday also to prepare a chart of legislators assigning that who will vote for whom.
Rejecting that there was dissidence in the party, parliamentary affairs minister Neelmani Sen Deka, however, said that party has also decided to issue one-line whip to Congress MLAs asking them to vote for the party candidate.
Mr Deka also clarified that issuing whip was a mere formalities and it has nothing to take with alleged dissident activities. “We are sure to defeat AIUDF candidate Animul Islam with a substantial margin,” said Mr Deka.
The Congress has 79 members in the 126-member assembly and the party requires 43 votes each for Mr Singh and Mr Kujur to win.