Guwahati, Sep 13 (IANS) Assam’s ruling Congress is bitterly divided over the post of party president for the state unit with two ministers and a former MP filing nominations Monday despite many within the party averse to the idea of electing a new president.
Relief and Rehabilitation Minister Bhumidhar Barman, Social Welfare Minister Akon Bora, and former MP from Guwahati, Kirip Chaliha, filed their nominations for the post of president of Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC).
‘For all technical purpose we have four candidates for the president’s post as the present APCC president Bhubaneswar Kalita’s name will be automatically there in the list unless he decides to keep away from the race,’ an APCC spokesperson said.
The last date of withdrawal of nominations is Tuesday.
‘Keeping with the party’s internal democracy, I filed my nomination papers for the sake of completing party formalities but am withdrawing my papers Tuesday so that Madam Sonia Gandhi can take a decision of selecting the party president herself,’ Barman said.
‘We are not happy at the way people are filing nomination papers as we don’t want an election,’ Congress leader Mehdi Alam Bora said.
In all probability, the three candidates would withdraw their nominations Tuesday and then names of all the four would be sent to the Congress high command who would take a decision on whom to choose as the next APCC president.
‘We are also not in favour of elections,’ Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said.
