Dispur (Assam): A day after the All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) moved 18 of its candidates to Rajasthan, the Congress, too, sent three of its candidates to Rajasthan on Saturday. A few more Congress candidates who contested the polls are likely to be moved to the desert state.
As the three-phased polls in Assam concluded on April 6, an alliance partner of the Congress-led 'grand alliance' AIUDF on Friday shifted 18 of its candidates to Hotel Fairmont at Jaipur in Rajasthan, fearing that the ruling BJP might try to lure the winning candidates to its fold. Sources in Rajasthan said that three Congress candidates, who had contested the recent polls, had also checked in at the hotel on Saturday morning.
Back home, the president of the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) Ripun Bora had also summoned its candidates to Guwahati. Most of these candidates are likely to be shifted to the Jaipur hotel either by Saturday night or by Sunday morning.
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Talking to ETV Bharat over the phone on Saturday, one of the AIUDF candidates, who had checked in at the hotel on Friday, termed it a "vacation" as they had been working hard during the elections.
"There is no threat of horse-trading. However, we wanted to ensure that nobody could lure our candidates in the run-up to the counting of votes. The hospitality in Jaipur is great and we all are very happy here. Some more Congress candidates are likely to join us soon," the AIUDF candidate said.
The hotel was put under tight security since the arrival of candidates from Assam. They are not allowed to go out of the hotel and all their requirements are being taken care of at the hotel, sources said.
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Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, however, said the development in the Opposition camp was a result of frustration. "We have several times made it clear that we are going to get more seats than the magic number. The people of Assam have voted in our favour and reposed their trust in us. There is no need for horse-trading. The BJP-led alliance is going to form the government after May 2," Sonowal told journalists on the sidelines of a programme on Saturday.
The AIUDF had contested 22 of the 126 Assembly seats this time while Congress had put up candidates for 96 seats. Partner of the Congress-led alliance Bodoland Peoples' Front (BPF) had also fielded 12 candidates.
On the other hand, the BJP had contested 91 of the 126 seats and its partner Asom Gana Parishad had fielded candidates in 13 seats.
