AGP dismisses age controversy in RS polls

Guwahati, May 16 (UNI) The Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) today maintained that its Rajya Sabha candidate Dipak Kumar Das had submitted true testimonials after an Asom United Democratic Front (AUDF)-backed candidate challenged the affidavit of the AGP candidate yesterday.

AGP spokesperson Apurba Kumar Bhattacharya said, ''Our party candidate's nomination papers have already been accepted, there can be no truth in this allegation.'' The AUDF backed candidate Matang Singh yesterday alleged that the age mentioned by Mr Das in his affidavit was not correct. Mr Singh claimed that his opponent had mentioned his age as 49 years while filing papers for 2004 Lok Sabha elections and has stated the same age this time also.

The AGP spokesperson, however, said the age mentioned by Mr Das the affidavit was as per the records in the voters' list.

''The AGP had elected its candidate through a proper democratic process of voting. We have ensured that everything confirms to the rules,'' he added.

AUDF working president Hafiz Rashid Ahmed Choudhury refused to comment over the issue, stating that the Returning Officer had accepted the AGP candidate's papers and it would serve no purpose now.

Assembly Secretary G P Das, who is the Returning Officer for the Rajya Sabha polls to be held this month, had yesterday said the AUDF polling agents had been present during the scrutiny of the papers and had raised no objection then. Hence, the nomination of Mr Das was accepted as it adhered to the rules.

While the Opposition is a divided house over the one Rajya Sabha seat they are contesting out of the two for which elections would be held, the Congress is comfortably poised to sail through with its candidate.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is the candidate for the other seat, elections for which would be held together.

The Congress and its associates, with 72 votes in its bag, are sure of getting the prime minister re-elected. The AGP has 24 votes, while the AUDF and the BJP have 10 each. The Left has three votes while Independents and others make up the rest in the 126-member state Assembly.

The BJP, which could play a crucial factor in deciding the winner of the second seat, is yet to announce its role in the polls, while the other members have also kept everyone guessing on whom they would vote for.

UNI