NEW DELHI, March 14 � Taking advantage of the division in Opposition ranks, the Congress party has decided to field candidates for both the Rajya Sabha seats.
Confirming this, PCC president, Bhubaneswar Kalita said AICC has advised them to explore the possibility of wresting both the seats. The Congress Party held the two seats, and the AICC decided to fight to retain both.�
The last minute change of strategy was attributed to the failure of the three main opposition parties to come to an understanding, said sources.
The Congress party, which enjoys a wafer thin majority in the Rajya Sabha is in no mood to concede a seat. Earlier, the Chief Minister had expressed the intention to field only one candidate, leaving the other to the Opposition.�
Following the instructions to the PCC president, the State leadership reportedly swung into action. The crucial meeting between Congress president, Sonia Gandhi and the Chief Minister could not take place, as Gogoi left for Guwahati this morning to be in the State to present the Budget on Monday.
Kalita too, was scheduled to fly back to Guwahati, but was asked to stay back for a crucial meeting later in the evening. The PCC president was waiting for AICC general secretary M Verrappa Moily to return to the capital to take part in the meeting, till the time of filing of this report.
It has been learnt that the short-listed candidates included the two sitting MPs, Silvius Condpan, Syeda Anowara Tamiur, former Union Minister, Santosh Mohan Dev, AICC secretary Dwijendranath Sarma amongst others. Besides, the AICC leadership is likely to consult the Chief Minister and PCC chief before finalising the two candidates.
Meanwhile, speculations were also rife after a meeting between AUDF chief Badruddin Ajmal and political secretary to Congress president, Ahmed Patel on Saturday evening. Ajmal was ostensibly leading a delegation of agitating teachers of venture schools.
The Congress party is working on the assumption that a section of AUDF MLAs might abstain, if they field a candidate belonging to the minority community. Furthermore, AUDF has so far not said anything about issuing whips to its legislators, sources pointed out.
