Congressmen disgruntled over second nominee for RS polls

Even as Manmohan Singh's victory is certain in the Rajya Sabha elections in Assam, the selection of the second contestant has drawn flak

Even as Prime Minister and Congress candidate Manmohan Singh's victory is certain in the May 30 Rajya Sabha elections in Assam, the selection of the second contestant for the other seat has drawn flak within the ruling party.

Expressing reservations against the second candidate Santiuse Kujur's nomination, senior Assam Congress leader Anjan Dutta told the media that he along with 25 other legislators are opposed to giving nomination to a fresh entrant to party.

"The nomination of Kujur has demoralised dedicated and senior partymen. If the ticket had to be given to an adivasi/tea community member, there were several other senior leaders," he said.

Dutta said he along with 25 aggrieved Congress MLAs would vote only for Singh and vote 'under protest' for Kujur, the 39-year-old Congress nominee who claimed to have joined the party in 2006, for the second seat.

"We are not going to break party discipline, but we are not going to keep quiet. We will request Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi to allow us to vote for Dr Singh as our first preference candidate in the polls", Dutta said.

The aggrieved MLAs would also meet party president Sonia Gandhi in Delhi after the elections to convey their grievances and the repercussions within the party and the tea/Adivasi community over the nomination, besides finding out who 'misled' her over the choice of the second candidate.

Manmohan Singh is the first nominee of Congress for elections to two Rajya Sabha seats, while Kujur and Aminul Islam of All India United Democratic Front(AIUDF) are the contestants for the second seat.

The prime minister will contest for his fifth Rajya Sabha term from Assam.

Kujur is an adivasi leader from the Christian community who had contested the last assembly polls from Panery in Udalguri district.