Congress ticket: Party weighing all options for Assam Assembly election

 Young blood with political family background in race

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: The 665 ticket aspirants from the Congress for the Assembly election in the State comprise MLAs and new faces with or without political family background. While some of the LACs (Legislative Assembly Constituencies) have 18-20 ticket aspirants, there are also LACs that have lone ticket seekers.

The party has entrusted Chattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Bhaghela to lead the party from the front in Assam. He has two others – Jitendra Singh and Vikash Upadhyay – to assist in the job. Their main thrust is on upper and central Assam.

The inclination towards political family background has long been a trend in the party. Going by this trend, Late Anjan Dutta's daughter Ankita Dutta, veteran leader Bhumidhar Barman's son Diganta Barman, another veteran Sarat Barkataky's son Anuj Barkataky, Tea Tribe stalwart Pabon Singh Ghatowar's son Pranjal Ghatowar, Rameswar Dhanowar's son Manoj Dhanowar, Akon Bora's son Manas Bora, Dr. Ardhendu Dey's son Aniruddha Dey, and former Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi's sister-in-law, to name a few, are ticket seekers of the party.

Significantly, five-time MLA Dr. Nazrul Islam and his scion Dr. Ashif Islam have sought party tickets from the same constituency, Lahorighat.

A pertinent question that arises here is: Will family background of the ticket seekers be the sole criterion for the issuance of tickets?

The observers' committee and the candidate selection committee of the party feel otherwise. The observers say that the winning prospects of the ticket seekers should come first. They, however, say that it should be a judicious mixture of new and old blood. Such a statement has given a section of sitting MLAs seeking party tickets the real jitters.

A source in the candidate selection committee of the party said, "It doesn't matter if a young candidate is with or without political family background. What we need to see is the type of grip he or she has over electorate in the respective constituency. Political family background is considered a plus point, but that can't be the sole criterion for party tickets."

According to party insiders, Bhaghela has made it crystal clear that this time around the preference in giving party tickets will largely depend on the opinions of grassroots-level workers.

Party sources say that if the party is to fight the ruling BJP and the newly-formed regional parties in the Assembly election, it has to field a young brigade. "The four or five-time MLAs have lost their links with the young generation voters who prefer young leaders whose thought-process matches theirs," said one of the party insiders.

Some of the constituencies like Gohpur, Samoguri and Nazira have lone ticket seekers. The candidates are Ripun Bora, Rakibul Hussain and Debabrata Saikia respectively. On the other hand, the Barpeta LAC has 18 tickets seekers.

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