Assam Elections: Sushmita Dev Has Not Resigned From Party, Congress Said
Guwahati:
Congress in Assam today denied reports that its leader Sushmita Dev resigns from the party after he reportedly withdrew from a meeting on the allocation of seats for state elections.
“The Assam Pradesh Congressional Committee has been informed that speculative news about the resignation of the president, All India Mahila Congress Sushmita Dev is circulating on television and on web portals. We want to make it clear that Sushmita Dev has not resigned from the party. “Congressional spokesman Bobbeeta Sharma said in a statement.
Earlier, Dev walked out of a congressional meeting on candidate selection for a hotel in Guwahati, party sources said.
Supporters of his party in Barak Valley’s hometown protested congressional leaders who supported allocating more seats to the AIUDF ally in Barak Valley.
The “Mahajoth” or great alliance led by Congress has AIUDF, BPF, CPI (M), CPI, CPI (ML) and Anchalik Gana Morcha as its constituents.
The three districts – Cachar, Karimganj and Hailakandi – in the Barak Valley in southern Assam bordering Bangladesh have a predominant Bengali population, religiously divided between Hindus and Bengali-speaking Muslims.
While the BJP had always had an advantage in the city of Silchar, the nerve center of the Barak Valley, the rest of the valley had an affinity first with AIUDF and then with Congress.
The AIUDF led by Maulana Badruddin Ajmal is historically popular with Bengali-speaking Muslims in the Chhar areas of western Assam and the Barak Valley. Congress is engaged in hectic talks to keep workers in its own party happy, as many have worked in this region since the time of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
MS Dev’s father, Santosh Mohan Dev, a tall figure in the region, had represented Silchar, the same who his daughter now represents, since 1980 and was a minister in the cabinet of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.
Sources said Dev said that although there were differences, she was sure they would be resolved soon.
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