'No grand alliance for Cong in Assam'

GUWAHATI, JANUARY 20 (AGENCIES): The Congress wants to go it alone in the Assam assembly elections, Tarun Gogoi, who is completing his third consecutive term as the state's chief minister, has said.   One of the senior most leaders of the Congress, Gogoi told NDTV, "There is no need of any pre-poll alliance."  

"We would like to go for tactical understanding where our appeal to voters will be either vote for Congress or any such like-minded party which can defeat the BJP and its allies in the polls," he added.   When the Grand Alliance, of which the Congress is a part, won the assembly elections in Bihar in November last year, Gogoi was among the first Congress leaders to suggest that the experiment of "anti-BJP forces" coming together be repeated in Assam and other state assembly elections.   Assam will go to the polls in April this year. Gogoi's latest statement puts an end to speculation regarding a possible alliance between the Congress, Badruddin Ajmal's AIDUF and the AGP.   The Assam chief minister, who is once again projected as Congress's chief ministerial candidate, also ruled out any threat from a proposed alliance between the BJP and Bodo parties.   Whenever these parties came together in the past, the alliance helped the Congress in the polls, he said.   Prime Minister Narendra Modi had hit out at Gogoi in his speech yesterday for problems faced by the state, especially shortage of electricity, during the 15 years that he has been chief minister. Gogoi hit back at PM Modi saying, "He always get his facts wrong and he doesn't know that most of the rivers in Assam cannot be used for electricity generation."  

Former Tripur governor joins AIUDF

  Guwahati, January 20 (IANS): In what is being seen a blow to Assam's ruling Congress ahead of the assembly polls, party leader and former Bihar and Tripura governor Devananda Konwar on Wednesday joined the AIUDF of perfume businessman Badaruddin Ajmal.   [caption id="attachment_177886" align="alignleft" width="261"] Devananda Konwar[/caption] Konwar joined the All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) at a public rally at Chenga in Barpeta district. Ajmal formally welcomed Konwar to the AIUDF, saying it will prove to be beneficial for the party. Konwar had joined the Congress in 1955 when he was a student leader and worked in various capacities in the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC).   Though he did not divulge the reasons behind his joining the AIUDF, the difference of opinion with Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi is believed to be one of the main factors. Konwar had served in the 1991 cabinet of then chief minister Hiteswar Saikia and in the Gogoi cabinet of 2001. He was, however, dropped from the council of ministers after differences with Gogoi. The educationist turned lawyer turned politician, who represented Thaora constituency in Sivasagar district, lost the 2006 assembly election. In 2009, Konwar was appointed governor of Bihar till 2013. He also held additional charge of West Bengal governor from December 2009 to January 2010. He was appointed Tripura governor in March 2013, and was removed from the post on June 28, 2014.   A controversy broke out when Konwar was Bihar governor in 2012 when the state's accountant general, who reports to the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), in an audit of his expenses, objected to the expenditure incurred by the governor from January 2009 to March 2012.