From Our Correspondent
Guwahati: Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi has directed ministers and MLAs of the ruling Congress party to put up special efforts to ensure victory of party candidates within their home districts and respective legislative constituencies in the forthcoming panchayat polls in Assam to be held in three phases on January 30, February 6 and February 12 next year.
In meeting convened at his official residence Gogoi told all the party ministers and legislators to go to their home districts and constituencies to monitor the preparation of the party at the grass root level for the panchayat election so that the party can fare better than last time.
Gogoi asked minority legislators of the party to give special efforts to ensure victory of party candidates in western Assam’s Muslims dominated areas where the party is facing stiff challenge this time from All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) which projects itself as the champion of minorities (Muslims) in Assam. The Congress is on a loose ground in Western Assam areas because of the failure of the party’s government to rehabilitate all the communal riot victims belonging to religious minority community in the Bodoland Territorial Autonomous Council (BTC) area because opposition from the BTC leadership to rehabilitation of landless riot victims.
Meanwhile, Gogoi has instructed all the party leaders responsible for panchayat polls to complete the process of selection of party candidates for panchayat polls by the end of next week so that the party can go all out in the campaign before its arch rivals.
An estimated 1,27,56,804 voters will exercise their franchise across 26, 844 constituencies.
Out of these 420 are Zila Parishad constituencies, 2202 are Anchalik constituencies and 22020 are ward member constituencies. The votes will be cast across 22,869 polling stations across the State.