NEWSLINKS US EDITION COLUMNISTS DIARY SPECIALS INTERVIEWS CAPITAL BUZZ REDIFF POLL THE STATES ELECTIONS ARCHIVES SEARCH REDIFF
G Vinayak in Guwahati
Tarun Gogoi, so far projected as the chief minister-in-waiting in Assam by the Congress, may have to contend with another claimant to the post.
Bhubaneshwar Kalita, a close confidant of the Gandhi family and former Rajya Sabha member, has apparently thrown his hat in the ring.
Kalita, who was the last-minute choice of Sonia Gandhi to contest the Rangia seat in lower Assam's Kamrup district, wrested the seat for the party after 25 years. His victory and the fact that the Congress has made spectacular gains in the lower Assam districts of Kamrup, Nalbari, Barpeta and Dhubri, hitherto known to be strongholds of regional forces, has given Kalita's claim a legitimacy.
Kalita apparently told his close associates: "If Tarun Gogoi, without contesting the assembly polls can be a contender for the top post, why can't I as an elected representative be in the race?"
Gogoi was not allowed to contest in Assembly elections since he is a sitting MP from Koliabor in upper Assam.
In fact, the latent division in the Congress on the upper Assam, lower Assam lines has come to the fore in the past couple of days. The upper Assam region has always been considered the Congress stronghold with the tea garden voters invariably returning Congress candidates.
This time, however, the Congress has not performed that well losing at least half-a-dozen seats in its stronghold. The lower Assam region on the other hand delivered 25 seats.
Gogoi, who led the Congress campaign as Assam Pradesh Congress Committee president, hails from Jorhat in upper Assam, while Kalita is a native of Rangiya, 60 km from capital Guwahati, located in the lower Assam region.
AICC general secretary in-charge of Assam Kamal Nath, meanwhile, has arrived in Guwahati. Although Kamal Nath has declared publicly that Tarun Gogoi would be the next chief minister of Assam, the appointment of R K Dhawan as the observer for the election of the Congress Legislature Party leader has queered the pitch.
The CLP meeting is scheduled for Wednesday and top Congress sources say the meeting might see sparks flying with rival camps laying their claims to the top slot.
The CLP meeting might, in the best traditions of the Congress, leave the decision to the "high command." This is where, Congress watchers says, Kalita might have an edge over Gogoi since his connections with 10, Janpath are stronger than Gogoi's.
Others of course ascribe Kalita's moves to his need to have a bargaining chip to get a top slot in the proposed cabinet.
ALSO SEE: AGP-BJP alliance to continue in Assam: Mahanta Congress wins a simple majority in Assam Read more
Back to top
Tell us what you think of this report
