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The Assembly election candidates of the Badruddin Ajmal-led All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF), who had been moved to Jaipur due to horse-trading fears, on Friday flew back to Assam.
At least 17 candidates had been shifted to Fairmont hotel in Jaipur exactly a week ago and were expected to be in Jaipur till around May 2, when the results are scheduled to be declared. The Congress party was bearing the expenses of their stay in Jaipur.
Sources said that the MLAs were concerned due to rising Covid cases. “The counting is on May 2, so there was a concern that if they contract Covid here, they might not be able to reach Assam for the counting and won’t be able to keep an eye on the entire process and that it stays neutral,” a source said. The candidates made a brief halt at Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot’s residence here before proceeding to the airport.
Official figures put new Covid -19 cases in India on Thursday at 2.11 lakh, while 15.66 lakh cases are active across the country.
“We have taken some time off. Of course, the risk of horse trading is there,” AIUDF’s influential general secretary Aminul Islam, a candidate from Mankachar constituency in Assam, had told The Indian Express last week. In Jaipur, tasked with hosting the AIUDF leaders, Congress Chief Whip Mahesh Joshi said, “Rajasthan’s slogan is ‘Padharo Mhare Des’ (welcome to my land), the more people arrive, the better it is for Rajasthan tourism.”
“With BJP government at the Centre, there is always a possibility of horse trading. All of you know how horse trading is done, the entire nation knows and is watching. The Congress party will certainly bear their expenses. Earlier too, when our guests, our MLAs had arrived, AICC bore the costs,” he had said.
Joshi and Congress MLA from Jaipur’s Adarsh Nagar Assembly, Rafeek Khan, had organised the stay of the candidates in Jaipur.
On Friday, Joshi said, “They are indeed going back. It is not our matter when they arrive and when they return. They got a message from Assam to come back.” During their stay, the candidates had ventured out and visited Ajmer Dargah, where they had prayed for good results.
In the outgoing Assembly, the AIUDF holds 14 seats. It contested 19 seats this time (including in alliance with the Congress, and is in alliance with Congress as a part of the ‘Mahajot’ (grand alliance). The Congress-AIUDF alliance hopes to win several constituencies of western Assam where the minority votes play a crucial role.
The three-phase polls to the 126-seat Assam Assembly had concluded on April 6.
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