Assam: Congress drive eyes 33L members by next March

GUWAHATI: Ahead of next year’s election within the party, the Assam Congress on Monday launched a massive membership drive targeting 33 lakh members by next year.
The working president of the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC), Rana Goswami, inaugurated the special membership drive at Rajiv Bhavan on Monday in the presence of Debabrata Saikia, leader of the Congress Legislature Party. The drive will continue till March 31, 2022, covering the entire state.
A host of senior Congress leaders, including Hiranya Borah, Kamrul Islam Choudhury, president, Assam Pradesh Youth Congress, and Abu Saleh Nazmuddin, ex-minister, among others were present.
“APCC targets to enroll more than 33 lakh members,” Goswami said during the programme conducted by Partha Pratim Bora, state coordinator for the drive.
As AICC may get a full-time president by September next year, organizational elections have been announced by the AICC in all the states and at the national level.
APCC president Bhupen Borah said in the first phase their target is to complete 25,000 memberships per constituency. “For the last five years we have not carried out membership drives. Apart from voting in the organizational election, our target is to increase membership in view of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls and 2026 assembly elections,” said Borah.
On November 14, he said maximum enrollment of members will be done. “On Children’s Day, maximum enrollment will be done. Our leaders will go to their respective booths to increase membership. Our target is to enrol 10 lakh members by November 14,” Borah added.
The Congress is facing a big challenge from the BJP, which claims that their membership in the state has already gone up to 45 lakh. Borah, however, said they have high hopes from youngsters and new voters who have been the biggest victims of unemployment, price-rise and other “anti-people” policies of the BJP-led government.
“In five years, on an average, we see 15,000 new voters in a constituency. This is going to be a massive drive, focusing on young people,” he asserted.
“From Assam, around 300 Congress members will ultimately vote in the AICC elections. In APCC, even I will have to face an election,” said Borah, who had openly supported Rahul Gandhi as the next AICC president.