Daijiworld Media Network - Guwahati

Guwahati, Feb 28: The Congress has finalised its first list of 45 candidates for the upcoming Assam Assembly elections, with most sitting MLAs expected to be retained. However, party sources indicated that the formal announcement may be deferred until the BJP releases its candidate list.

The decisions were taken during a virtual meeting of the Congress Central Election Committee (CEC) on Friday, following reviews of feedback from the state unit and the screening committee. Discussions also included candidates for the newly created Binnakandi and Khowang assembly seats, with potential allotments to allies reportedly causing discontent among party workers.

The candidature of the sons of Nagaon Lok Sabha MP Pradyut Bordoloi and Dhubri MP Rakibul Hussain was also considered. While the Congress is expected to contest around 100 seats, negotiations with allies over seat-sharing have triggered protests in Sarupathar and Bhawanipur-Sorbhog, and state unit president Gaurav Gogoi was gheraoed by workers opposing vacating Sarupathar.

The CEC meeting followed the first screening committee session chaired by senior leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on February 23. During her two-day visit to Assam, she met grassroots workers and leaders to gather feedback on potential candidates. The 126-seat Assam Assembly polls are expected to be held in April.