The Indian National Congress has finalised candidates for nearly 95 per cent of the seats for the upcoming Assembly elections in Assam, with the list likely to be released on March 14, according to Gaurav Gogoi.
The development comes after a meeting of the party’s Central Election Committee (CEC), chaired by Rahul Gandhi and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday.
Speaking to reporters following the meeting, Gogoi said that most constituencies had already been discussed and approved by the party leadership.
“We have discussed about 95 per cent of the seats of Assam. The list may come tomorrow. We will soon discuss the remaining seats also,” he said.
Party leaders said consultations on the remaining constituencies will continue before the final list is formally announced.
Meanwhile, the Congress also received a political boost earlier this week when Jayanta Khaound, former national finance secretary of the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), joined the party along with several other leaders.
Khaound was formally inducted into the Congress at the party headquarters in New Delhi in the presence of senior leaders, including Jitendra Singh Alwar, D. K. Shivakumar, Gogoi and party national secretary Manoj Chauhan.
Welcoming Khaound, Gogoi said the entry of leaders with grassroots support reflects “growing public discontent in Assam against the leadership of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.”
He also claimed that a “rising wave of political change in Assam” is emerging ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections.
