'I repeatedly contacted the party leadership, but they didn't take my calls. The District Congress Committee offered no assistance.'
'I waited for a long time, and when no response came, I decided to quit the party.'
Key Points
- Congress candidate Suren Daimari quits party a day before Assam polling, citing lack of campaign support and leadership response.
- Daimari alleged neglect of scheduled tribes and made controversial remarks targeting a specific community, triggering political backlash.
- Congress downplayed exit, stating no formal resignation submitted and campaign efforts in Udalguri constituency remain unaffected.
In a setback to the Congress ahead of polling in Assam, its Udalguri candidate, Suren Daimari, announced his resignation from the party just a day before voting, citing lack of support from the leadership.
Daimari said that after filing his nomination papers, he received little to no assistance from the party in carrying out his campaign.
'I repeatedly contacted the party leadership, but they didn't take my calls. The District Congress Committee offered no assistance. I waited for a long time, and when no response came, I decided to quit the party,' he said.
He further alleged that the Congress had neglected the interests of scheduled tribes, a key demographic in Udalguri constituency.
In a controversial remark, Daimari also claimed that the party 'does not care for people like me' and instead works for 'Miyas', a term often used pejoratively to refer to Bengali-speaking Muslims.
However, the Congress downplayed the development, stating that Daimari has not formally submitted his resignation to the party. Senior leaders maintained that organisational efforts in the constituency would continue as planned.
Despite his announcement, election officials clarified that Daimari will remain a candidate in the fray. A senior official from the Chief Electoral Officer, Assam, confirmed that his name will continue to appear on the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), as the deadline for withdrawal of nominations has already passed.
The contest in Udalguri remains a multi-cornered one. Apart from Daimari, three other candidates are in the fray: Rihon Daimary of the Bodoland People's Front, an ally of the Bharatiya Janata Party; Dipen Boro of the United People's Party Liberal and Unike Basumatary of the Voters Party International.
Rare Instance
The incident marks a rare instance of a candidate effectively withdrawing from active participation in the electoral contest at the eleventh hour, after the formal process for withdrawal has closed.
The Election Commission has not issued any separate directive on the matter, indicating that standard electoral procedures will apply.
The development has added an unexpected twist to the Udalguri contest, with political observers noting that such last-minute disruptions could influence voter perception and party mobilisation on polling day.
Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff
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