AIUDF to go solo in assembly elections

Even as the Congress is trying to unite opposition parties to defeat the ruling BJP in Assam, minority-based All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) has announced that it will go solo in the next year’s assembly elections. “We will follow the ‘ekla chalo re’ principle,” AIUDF chief Maulana Badruddin Ajmal said. “We’ve neither received any offer for an alliance from the Congress nor are we anticipating one,” he said. Ajmal was not too optimistic about the Congress’s poll prospects. “The Congress might suffer an even bigger defeat in Assam than in Bihar,” he said, adding that the AIUDF would contest 31-32 seats and would be happy if it could win 20-odd seats.

Railway passengers’ comfort, amenities upgraded

In an initiative to improve passenger comfort and station amenities, Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) has upgraded retiring rooms and dormitory facilities at Guwahati railway station. The upgraded facilities were made operational in the presence of NFR general manager Chetan Kumar Shrivastava, along with senior officials, reaffirming NFR’s commitment towards passenger-centric infrastructure development. The retiring room complex now offers an enhanced stay experience for railway users. The accommodation comprises seven two-bed rooms and two five-bed ones.