Asom Congress bid maximum percentage votes to Pratibha

Guwahati, June 26 (UNI) The Congress-led Asom Government is making all efforts to ensure that UPA Presidential nominee Pratibha Patil gets the maximum percentage of votes from Asom as compared to other states.

In fact, the Asom Pradesh Congress Committee has sent a second nomination paper signed by 15 proposers and as many supporters for Ms Patil today.

Senior Congress leader and Asom Government spokesperson Ripun Bora told a press conference here that the total vote value of the 126 MLAs of Asom adds to 14,616, of which the Congress has so far managed to ''ensure'' 10,440 votes in favour of the UPA nominee.

Describing Ms Patil as the best possible candidate for the top post, Mr Bora said all the MLAs were being contacted, seeking support for her.

''The support from leaders like Jyoti Basu, Bal Thakerey and Uma Bharati only reaffirms her preeminence,'' Besides the 54 Congress MLAs and 11 from BPPF (H), 10 independents, the two CPI (M) legislators and one each from CPI and NCP the understood to have extended their support to the UPA nominee.

''We are also having parleys with the AUDF which has ten MLAs, and under the current political set up they should also support the UPA nominee,'' Mr Bora, who is also the state education minister, said.

The Congress has also formed a coordination committee to ensure that maximum votes from the state are polled in favour of Ms Patil, while a joint strategy of all the like-minded parties are to be chalked out in a fortnight.

''Though we don't have the largest number of votes among the states, we are making efforts to ensure that in terms of percentage, Asom gives Ms Patil the maximum votes,'' Mr Bora said.

The minister also informed that Ms Patil is expected to arrive in the state in the second week of July for campaigning.

UNI