Guwahati, May 24 (IANS) Former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Sunday said that the Congress high command will soon take a decision on the appointment of the Leader of Opposition in the Assam Assembly after completing consultations with party legislators.

Talking to reporters here, Baghel said the Congress Legislature Party meeting was successfully concluded with the participation of all party MLAs. He stated that Congress legislators unanimously passed a resolution authorising the party high command to decide the Leader of Opposition, Deputy Leader and the Chief Whip in the Assam Assembly.

“The meeting of the Legislature Party concluded successfully, and all Congress MLAs were present. A unanimous resolution was passed authorising the high command to decide who will be the leader of the Legislature Party, Deputy Leader and Chief Whip,” Baghel said.

The senior Congress leader added that after the formal meeting, he individually interacted with all the legislators and collected their opinions and suggestions regarding the leadership issue. “I spoke to every MLA individually, and the suggestions received from them have been conveyed to the high command,” he said.

Baghel, who has been appointed as an observer by the Congress central leadership, said the final decision has not yet been made but indicated that the announcement could come soon.

“So far, no decision has been finalised. It has been decided that the high command will take the final call. A decision will be made very soon,” he said in response to questions from reporters.

When asked whether any names had been shortlisted for the post, Baghel avoided giving a direct reply and said discussions were still underway on all aspects related to the appointment.

The Congress currently has 19 MLAs in the Assam Assembly and is expected to formally announce its Leader of Opposition after consultations with the central leadership are completed.

The BJP-led alliance secured 102 seats in the 126-member Assembly, and the opposition suffered a crushing defeat.

–IANS

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