GUWAHATI, March 19 - Opposition Congress today said that all senior State leaders of the party were consulted before selection of candidates for the 10 constituencies of Assam, which have been announced so far, and added that it has nominated persons who are �capable, experienced and vocal.
�The views of all senior leaders were taken into consideration while deciding upon our candidates. Everybody worked as a team under the guidance of our party�s high command,� Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) secretary and spokesperson Rhituparna Konwar said here.
Congress has so far announced names of its candidates for 10 of the 14 constituencies of Assam. The first list comprising names of five candidates (for Kaliabor, Jorhat, Dibrugarh, Silchar and Karimganj seats) was announced on March 15, while the second list, with names of five candidates (for Nagaon, Tezpur, Lakhimpur, Mangaldai and Diphu), was released late yesterday evening.
There have been reports about discontent among some senior leaders of the State Congress regarding ticket distribution. �All senior leaders were consulted. Ours is the first major party to announce its candidates for Assam. That itself proves that the process went smoothly and all worked together,� Konwar said.
He further added, �We think that the candidates announced by our party are capable, experienced, vocal and have a record of working for the masses. The performance of our sitting MPs Gaurav Gogoi and Sushmita Dev has been commendable both in and outside the Parliament over the last five years.�
Konwar said the party�s choices reflect that it has given preference to both new faces as well as veterans. �There are new faces and youngsters as well as leaders with experience in Parliament and are considered veterans. Factors like efficiency, winnability and image of the person concerned have been taken into consideration during candidate selection. Our party has given nomination to capable and deserving candidates. For example, Pradyut Bordoloi, our candidate for the Nagaon constituency, is a highly capable leader with a lot of experience as MLA and minister and is very vocal on issues. Similarly, our Tezpur nominee MGVK Bhanu is known for having done a great deal of work at Tezpur during his time as an IAS officer. He is considered highly efficient. People like Bhubaneswar Kalita have performed remarkably in Parliament over the years,� he said.
He added, �We want people who can raise their voice in Parliament on issues concerning Assam and our list comprises leaders who have that capability. We hope the people of the State will vote for our candidates in the Lok Sabha polls.�
Konwar added that the party�s candidates for the remaining four constituencies of the State � Guwahati, Barpeta, Dhubri and Kokrajhar � are likely to be named on March 21.
