After a week’s stay in Congress-ruled Rajasthan, Assam Assembly election candidates of the Opposition alliance, including those from the All-India United Democratic Front (AIUDF), flew back to Guwahati on Friday.
They were brought to Jaipur on April 9 amid fears of horse-trading by the BJP.
The candidates, numbering about 20, were staying in a luxury hotel near Jaipur and were expected to be in the State Capital till May 2, when the election results are scheduled to be announced. The Congress party was reportedly bearing the expenses of their stay.
According to sources in the Congress, the candidates were concerned about the worsening COVID-19 situation in Rajasthan and feared they may not be able to reach Assam for the May 2 counting if they contracted the infection. As Rajasthan’s COVID-19 cases increased, the government has imposed a weekend curfew starting on Friday.
The candidates met Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot at his residence before leaving for Sanganer airport. Earlier, they ventured out of Jaipur and visited Sufi mystic Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti's dargah in Ajmer.
Badruddin Ajmal-led AIUDF and Bodoland People's Front (BPF) are the two main constituents of the Congress-led Mahajot or grand alliance of 10 parties in Assam. The three-phase polls to the 126-seat Assembly concluded on April 6.
Published - April 17, 2021 01:18 am IST
