NEW DELHI: Even as the Congress steps up preparations for the 2026 Assam Assembly elections and brings in Priyanka Gandhi Vadra to oversee ticket screening, aspirants on the ground have been handed a blunt message: deposit Rs 50,000 first if you want to be in the race.
In a circular accessed by The Tribune, the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) has invited applications from party members seeking the party ticket but made submission of a Rs 50,000 demand draft mandatory at the application stage itself, effectively turning entry to the ticket race into a pay-first process.
The directive, issued on the instructions of APCC president Gaurav Gogoi, said applications would be accepted between January 5 and January 20 and would be considered only if accompanied by a demand draft drawn in favour of the APCC.
While the party has described the amount as an application fee, the move has raised eyebrows within party ranks, particularly when contrasted with party practises in other states. In the 2024 Andhra Pradesh elections, following the Karnataka and Telangana model, the Congress charged Rs 15,000 from reserved category applicants and Rs 25,000 from others for the Lok Sabha ticket. For the Assembly ticket in Andhra Pradesh, the amount was Rs 10,000 for unreserved category aspirants and Rs 5,000 for those from reserved categories.
Similarly, during the Haryana Assembly elections, the Congress fixed Rs 20,000 per application per constituency for general category aspirants, while applicants from Scheduled Castes, Backward Classes and women categories were told to pay Rs 5,000 each.
Against that backdrop, the flat Rs 50,000 fee in Assam, without category-wise differentiation, has triggered quiet unease among grassroots workers, especially in a state where the Legislative Assembly has 126 seats and intra-party competition is expected to be intense.
The APCC has also noted that some Assembly seats may be vacated in favour of alliance partners and stated that the application fee would be reimbursed in such cases. However, the circular is silent on the mechanism and timeline for refunds.
Applicants have been asked to submit a prescribed form, an undertaking and a certified copy of the voter list bearing their name. After filing the application at the APCC headquarters, aspirants must also submit Xerox copies of the application form and the demand draft to the respective district and block Congress committee presidents.
The move has triggered murmurs within the party, with some workers privately questioning whether financial capacity is being made an informal filter at a time when the Congress is seeking to project itself as a platform for ordinary workers against a resource-heavy ruling party.
Besides Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Saptagiri Sankar Ulaka, Imran Masood and Sirivella Prasad have been appointed members of the screening committee, tasked with shortlisting candidates and steering internal consultations ahead of the polls.