After the end of the frenzy behind the Chief Minister’s post in Assam, now the political circles in the state are interested in who the next leader of opposition in the state will be.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) formed the government in Assam as the single largest party after winning 60 seats in the recently concluded Assam assembly polls. On the other hand, the congress party which could manage 29 seats emerged as the second-largest party and will be in the opposition’s chair.
This is the second time in a row that Congress will have to sit in the opposition seat after being in power for three consecutive terms. Now the main question that arises is- Who will lead the party in the assembly?
Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) President Ripun Bora and Congress’s Assam election in-charge Jitendra Singh held a meeting with the party’s winning candidates the day after the results were declared but they could not come to a decision on the party’s leader in the assembly. Sources say that clashes between the leaders within the congress party have led to the delay in selecting the leader of the opposition. Just like the BJP, APCC is waiting for the Central leadership of the Congress to elect the leader.
Due to multiple clashes within the party, the names of multiple candidates have come to the fore. The names of former Congress legislature party leader Debabrata Saikia, as well as Thowra MLA Sushanta Borgohain, Samaguri MLA Rockybul Hussain, senior Congressman and Naoboicha MLA Bharat Chandra Narah, have come into the limelight. Meanwhile, Assam Pradesh Mahila Congress Committee President Nandita Das’s name has also come up for the post of the leader of the Congress Legislature Party.
The leader of the Congress legislature party is certain to get the status of leader of the opposition in the assembly this time too. Since the Congress has one-sixth of the total members of the assembly or more than 21 MLAs, the Congress legislature party leader will naturally be able to play the role of the leader of opposition.
That is why clashes have started within the party for the prestigious post. It is worth mentioning that the first assembly session of the state will be held on May 21. There are just five days in between, in such a situation, who will lead the opposition party in Assam? It will be interesting.
