Denied ticket, Congress MP Abdul Khaleque may resign from party, say sources

New Delhi [India], March 15 (ANI): Two days ahead of the conclusion of the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, the Congress party is likely to face a setback in Assam, as sources suggest that current Member of Parliament from the Barpeta Lok Sabha constituency in Assam, Abdul Khaleque may resign due to dissatisfaction with the party.

Notably, the Congress party did not give the Lok Sabha ticket to the sitting MP from Barpeta Abdul Khaleque, and rather alloted his seat to Deep Bayan, the President of the Assam Pradesh Congress Sevadal.

The Congress party’s denial of the ticket to sitting MP Abdul Khaleque is seen as a reason for his imminent exit from the party.

Sources say that the incumbent MP has claimed that the Congress party is neglecting the Muslim community in Assam, which has prompted him to bid farewell to the party.

The Congress party on March 12 released a list of 12 candidates for Assam for the upcoming Lok Sabha election. The party is contesting 13 out of 14 seats, reserving one for its ally, Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP).

Party MP Gaurav Gogoi will contest from Jorhat while MP Pradyot Bordoloi will contest from his seat of Nagaon. Lurinjyoti Gogoi, President, Assam Jatiya Parishad will contest in alliance with the Congress from Dibrugarh.

Meanwhile, Deputy Speaker of the state Assembly in Assam, Numal Momin mocked the party for its choice of candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

Taking a swipe at the Congress over its choice of Lok Sabha candidates for Assam, Momin said the ruling BJP was ‘very happy’ with the list as it would ensure that the Congress comes a cropper in the state and its tally of seats across the country is reduced to a ‘single digit’.

“We were very happy seeing the Congress list for Assam, as we can now say with full conviction that they wouldn’t win a single seat in the state. I fear that the Congress might even fail to win a single Lok Sabha seat in the entire Northeast region. Such is the prevailing state of the Congress that one wouldn’t be surprised if its tally of seats across the country came down to a single digit. I doubt if the Congress has ever been in a similar state before,” Momin told ANI on Wednesday.