Patience pays, APCC chief tells party workers ahead of by-poll candidate list declaration

Guwahati, Oct 20: As the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) finalises its candidate list for the November 13 by-polls, President Bhupen Borah has called for patience among party workers ahead of the announcement scheduled for today evening.

Stressing that “patience pays”, Borah urged members to focus on the collective goal of the Asom Sonmilito Morcha (ASM)—the alliance of all opposition parties in Assam—to defeat the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). “We should all strive to realise this goal,” he said.

Borah discouraged reliance on speculation, explaining that leaders from all parties within the ASM have submitted comprehensive reports on candidacy for the five seats to the All India Congress Committee (AICC) and they must wait for the high-command’s decision on the matter. “By the evening, we’ll have the final names, which will put an end to all speculations,” he assured.

Reflecting on the electoral process, Borah noted that it is common for many workers to not receive tickets during elections, sharing his own experience of being overlooked four times. “Now, I have been entrusted to distribute five tickets for the by-polls. It’s natural not to receive a ticket sometimes; we just need to have patience and wait for the right moment,” he explained.

Borah’s remarks come amidst growing dissent among Congress workers over the potential candidacy of CPI (M-L) member Bibek Das for the Behali constituency. Additionally, there are speculations about offering a Congress ticket to former BJP leader Jayanta Bora, who recently resigned from the saffron party and as of now, has not declared affiliation to any party.

In response to these tensions, Biswanath District Congress President Dilip Baruah clarified that if a candidate from the ASM is awarded a ticket, other parties within the coalition should not oppose it.

“According to the rules, we are not allowed to oppose a candidate who is a member of the Asom Sonmilito Morcha. Eighteen political parties came together to create this Morcha, so if someone from the Morcha gets a ticket, we cannot oppose that candidate,” Baruah stated.

Addressing ongoing rumours regarding his potential resignation as ASM president, Borah stated that any decision would depend on the consensus of the member parties.

“They had asked me to be the president of the united Morcha, and they’ll have to inform me if they want me to step down. So far, I haven’t received any such notification from any of the parties,” he concluded.