Congress secures AIUDF’s support for Assam RS seat after poll debacle
Hindustan TimesThe Congress party, which is set to lose seven seats in the Rajya Sabha this year, has secured the support of Badruddin Ajmal’s All India United Democratic Front for one of the two Upper House seats in Assam that will be up for grabs in the biennial polls in April. Congress’s strength in the House is set to shrink to 28 from the current tally of 34, owing to a string of election losses The Congress on Saturday announced the nomination of its sitting Rajya Sabha member Ripun Bora, a former president of the party’s state unit. While the Bharatiya Janata Party is set to be the biggest gainer with an additional 10 seats, the Congress’s strength in the House is set to shrink to 28 from the current tally of 34, owing to a string of election losses — including in Assam — in the recent years. But time and again, the AIUDF has backed the Congress, be it supporting the Manmohan Singh government during the trust vote in 2008 necessitated by the Indo-US nuclear deal, or supporting Bora’s candidature for the Rajya Sabha seat.