Tea tribes demand 26 Cong tickets

GUWAHATI, February 21: With tea tribes and a few other intra-party lobbies led by senior leaders demanding their share of party tickers to contest in the next Assembly election in the State, the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) leadership is in a fix to prepare a well accepted list of aspirants to be referred to the party high command for the final selection of nominees. Sources in the party informed that the leaders of tea tribe community which has been a loyal vote bank for Congress party in the State, have this time demanded party nominations to contest from as many as 26 Legislative Assembly Constituencies (LACs) in the state in the next election. With the tea tribes leaders putting pressure on the APCC leadership demanding party tickets, several party stalwarts who have been representing tea tribes dominated LACs in the state for years are worried over their political future. Given the fact that Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has succeeded in setting up a base in tea heartland in the state, the APCC cannot risk ignoring tea tribe leaders demand for considerable number of party tickets. Meanwhile, APCC vice-president, Hemoprava Saikia, armed with the blessings bestowed upon her by the Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, is also demanding a few tickets for her supporters who never left her side when she was struggling to regain her position in the party after the death of her husband Late Hiteswar Saikia. Saikia who at one time thought of leaving the party for being sidelined by the present leadership, has now become a force to reckon with in the party by virtue of the confidence she enjoyed with the Congress high command. Hence the APCC leadership will not be able to overlook her demand for party nomination to her 'group of leaders' in the state Congress. Meanwhile, the Pradesh Congress Election Committee in likely to prepare a list of party nominees by middle of March and the list will be referred to the party high command for the final say. Before that Block Congress Committees (BCCs) will meet on February 27 and 28 to prepare list of party ticket aspirants after scrutiny. The BCCs will later forward the lists to District Congress Committees (DCCs) which will again meet on March 8 next. The DCCs are asked to shortlist and forward names to Pradesh Congress Election Committee. Party sources informed that as many as 774 aspirants are seeking Congress nomination to contest Assembly polls in the state.