GUWAHATI: Apprehending poaching by the BJP, Congress is trying to keep its flock together ahead of the declaration of Assembly election results on May 2. Congress leaders held a closed-door meeting with party candidates at a hotel on the outskirts of Guwahati on Saturday. Although what transpired in the meeting was not clear and the party said not too much should be read into “general discussions” on preparations for the counting day, this comes amidst talks that the Congress has plans to shift its he candidates to hotels in Guwahati, Tezpur and Kaziranga on April 22 and keep them away from potential “approaches”.
The three-phase polls, held in March and April, were keenly contested between the BJP-led ruling coalition, which also has Asom Gana Parishad and United People’s Party Liberal, and the Congress-led 10-party grand alliance of opposition.
The Congress is trying to put up a brave face by saying the party will get majority and has no fears of horse-trading. “The grand alliance will get a big majority and its candidates are not going anywhere,” AICC general secretary and Assam in-charge Jitendra Singh said before the meeting.
Given past incidents, the Congress leadership has issued certain instructions to its candidates. “We have no trust in the Election Commission. We all know that 171 votes were cast in a booth that had 90 eligible voters. Also, a polled EVM was retrieved from the car of a BJP candidate (who is also an MLA),” Singh said.The candidates of Congress ally All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) returned to the state on Friday night from Rajasthan after the surge in Covid-19 cases there.