Guwahati: Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh’s re-election to the Rajya Sabha from Assam is expected to be a mere formality when voting begins on Thursday as the ruling Congress has a thumping majority in the state Assembly.
Dr Singh is seeking a fifth consecutive term to the Upper House from his ‘adopted home state’.
The voting is scheduled tomorrow for the two seats that will fall vacant from the state next month, including the one held by the prime minister.
The Congress has fielded Dr Singh and adivasi youth leader Santiuse Kujur, while Opposition AIUDF has put Aminul Islam in the race
State Parliamentary Affairs Minister Nilamani Sen Deka, who is also Dr Singh’s polling agent, exuded full confidence that both its candidates will win convincingly.
“About 49 legislators will vote for Dr Singh and another 45 will vote for Kujur. The meeting on Wednesday evening will finalise the details,” he added.
The Minister said a three line whip will be issued at the end of the meeting to all party legislators to vote for the party candidates as is the tradition in the party.
The Congress has 79 MLAs and the BPF has 12 legislators in the 126-member Assam Assembly.
With the Asom Gana Parishad (9 MLAs) and BJP (5 MLAs) deciding to refrain from voting, the vote weightage would tilt further in the ruling alliance’s favour.
“We were interested in putting up a consensus candidate of all opposition parties for the second seat but as this did not happen we have decided not to vote,” AGP General Secretary Durgadas Boro said here on Tuesday.
Earlier BJP, with five candidates in the assembly, had also decided to abstain from voting as the party did not support any of the contestants.
Deka also claimed that three-four AIUDF legislators have also contacted him to cast their votes for Congress but the minister has declined their overtures.
However, AIUDF supremo Badruddin Ajmal has rejected any move by his MLAs to join the Congress camp.
Talking to reporters after a meeting of party legislators, Ajmal said no AIUDF MLA has contacted the Congress.
He maintained that the party candidate will grab one of the two seats in tomorrow’s election.
The All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) has 18 legislators.
Kujur is an Adivasi leader from the Christian community who had contested the last assembly polls from Panery in Udalguri district, while Aminul Islam is AIUDF’s general secretary and an advocate in Gauhati High Court.
Voting will be conducted from 9am to 4pm and results declared around 5pm same evening. (UNI)