GUWAHATI: Ahead of the Assam Assembly election results on May 4, the Congress has rushed senior leaders to the state, expressing confidence of victory and aiming to safeguard its candidates.
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel and AICC general secretary Jitendra Singh attended a meeting of the Congress-led six-party Opposition alliance in Guwahati on Saturday.
Addressing the media, Shivakumar said the people of Assam had voted for change. “All of us will be on alert and we will see if we need to protect our candidates. You know that they try to do a lot of mischiefs. They have already tried to approach us. They have a fear of losing this election, so they are trying to approach our people,” he said, referring to the ruling BJP.
“If they were so confident, then they would not have tried to contact any of us. The Congress and its alliance partners are confident that we will have a new government in Assam,” he added, rejecting exit poll predictions of 88 to 100 seats for the NDA.
Assam has 126 Assembly seats.
Shivakumar said leaders have issued directions to alliance partners for counting day. “We know that the official machinery will be misused. We have guided them what needs to be done. We will have a legal room in Delhi and another in Guwahati."
AICC general secretary Jitendra Singh said the alliance contested the elections as a team and claimed people sought change from the BJP-led government. He termed exit polls exaggerated and said earlier projections in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections had also been inaccurate. “They came up with such figures to put pressure on officials and Opposition candidates. I have complete trust that the Opposition alliance will get 70 to 75 seats,” he said.
Assam Congress president Gaurav Gogoi said the state would see a Congress-led government, adding that women voters played a key role.
Raijor Dal chief Akhil Gogoi said the alliance would win more than 70 seats and projected Gaurav Gogoi as Chief Minister.
Assam Jatiya Parishad president Lurinjyoti Gogoi also expressed confidence of victory, noting that the NDA had won 86 seats in 2016 and 75 in 2021. He said the alliance expects a decline in the NDA’s tally this time.
