A day after veteran Congress leader Pradyut Bordoloi joined the BJP, his son Prateek, who had been fielded by the Congress from the Margherita constituency for the upcoming Assam Assembly election, withdrew his candidacy.
In a letter addressed to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, to avoid any “confusion” regarding his “commitment” and that he would continue to remain a member of the party.
The party had nominated Prateek, the Assam Congress’s social media co-chairman, to make his electoral debut from the Margherita constituency, which his father had represented for four terms as a Congress MLA.
Following Pradyut Bordoloi’s resignation from the Congress on Tuesday and his officially joining the BJP on Wednesday, which will likely field him as a candidate in the election, there has been a question mark on Prateek’s fate. While joining the BJP, Bordoloi had said that his son would make his own decision. Assam Congress president Gaurav Gogoi has subsequently said that he “sympathises” with Prateek’s situation and that he would support his decision.
On Thursday morning, after meeting leaders of the All India Congress Committee in New , Prateek wrote to Kharge that he feels that it “would not be appropriate” for him to continue as a candidate for the party.
“I believe that the people of Margherita and the countless dedicated Congress workers deserve absolute clarity and confidence in the party’s candidate. It would be unfair to them if any confusion or perception arises regarding my commitment or the party’s position. My decision is guided purely by my respect for the organisation and my desire to uphold the values and discipline of the Congress party,” he wrote.
He went on to write that he would continue to work for the party “in whatever capacity the leadership deems appropriate”.
The Congress had so far announced candidates for a total of 65 seats, including Margherita, and had left 15 seats for its allies, leaving it yet to announce candidates for 46 seats.
