NEW DELHI, Oct 14 � Amid frantic lobbying for the post of PCC president, a list of delegates from Assam has been submitted, as �suspense prevails over election of a new PCC president
While Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi is camping in the national capital, ostensibly to lobby with AICC leadership for election of Dr Bhumidhar Barman, PCC president Bhubaneswar Kalita has also intensified lobbying for a third term.
On Tuesday, the list of AICC delegates of the State was prepared and submitted by PRO Subansh Chopra at a meeting attended by PCC president Bhubaneswar Kalita and general secretary in-charge M Veerappa Moily.
The meeting, held at the AICC headquarters, was not joined by the Chief Minister, though he is learnt to have submitted his list of nominees. Both the lists would be tallied and a final list of AICC delegates finalised at a later date, said sources.
The list of PCC delegates have been finalised earlier, which has formally authorised the Congress president to select the new leader.
Kalita, when contacted confirmed that the list of AICC delegates has been submitted to the AICC on Tuesday following a meeting. Assam�s list of 41 delegates is the highest ever, as the State so far had only 16 AICC members.
�The number has gone up because it was prepared on the basis of the delimited LAC constituencies. The 41 AICC delegates, along with 350 PCC members for the first time ever, now have the strength to get one Congress Working Committee (CWC) elected,� claimed Kalita. �
Meanwhile, the Chief Minister is expected to shortly meet AICC president Sonia Gandhi to press for election of Dr Barman as the next PCC president. Gogoi�s inputs is considered vital because of the forthcoming Assembly polls.
On Tuesday afternoon, Union Minister for Mines and DoNER Bijoy Krishna Handique met Gandhi and reportedly supported Dr Barman�s candidature. He is also learnt to have explained the advantages of getting Dr Barman elected to the top party post.
Sources confided that the line adopted by Gogoi camp is that Dr Barman, being a grass root leader, enjoys mass support, considered critical in an election year. On the other hand, Kalita has no mass appeal and hence cannot be considered a mass leader.
It has been claimed that several MLAs and MPs have complained that Kalita has hardly ever bothered to visit their constituencies all these years. Kalita is also accused of maintaining distance with major allies of Congress party like BPF.
The BPF has also announced its intention to field a candidate from Rangiya LAC, Kalita�s home turf.
On the other hand, Kalita�s camp has pointed out that octogenarian Dr Barman may not be able to take the pressure of hectic election campaigning. He is also known to confine himself to Nalbari district and hence a relatively unknown figure in Upper Assam and among tea lobby, said sources
Sources revealed that these �facts� have been brought to the notice of Moily and through him to the Congress president. The Chief Minister is also learnt to have submitted a note to party high command sometime back, which was brought by a courier.
A senior AICC leader, when asked about their view, said it cannot be said with certainty who would be elected, given the stand taken by Gogoi�s camp, though it was earlier decided that none of the PCC presidents in States going to polls would be disturbed.
Meanwhile, Gogoi today went to watch Commonwealth Games. In the morning, he went to watch table tennis match, while in the evening, he was at the Talkatora Stadium watching swimming and diving competitions.
