Guwahati13 November 2025 at 09:40 AM IST
First published on: 13 November 2025 at 09:39 AM IST
In a renewed attempt to forge a regional anti-BJP alliance ahead of the Assembly elections in Assam next year, Congress leaders led by Jitendra Singh Alwar, the state ACC in-charge, met other opposition leaders after a meeting of the Congress Political Affairs Committee on Wednesday.
Among those present at the meeting were Raijor Dal leader and MLA Akhil Gogoi, Assam Jatiya Parishad leader Lurinjyoti Gogoi, CPI(M) leader and MLA Manoranjan Talukdar, CPI(ML) leaders and independent Rajya Sabha MP Ajit Bhuyan.
After the two meetings, Assam Congress president Gaurav Gogoi said: “We need a Congress-led government in Assam for the interests of the people. They want relief from Prime Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s leadership, from the shame, the divisive politics, and the environment of fear. The people want an alternative, and the Congress must take the initiative to make that happen.”
While Gogoi did not talk about any alliance, other opposition leaders said they were hopeful of an alliance this time.
Manoranjan Talukdar of the CPI(M) said he was “100 percent optimistic” about the alliance, and Lorinjyoti Gogoi of the RJD said: “Unity should be our principle.”
However, the relationship between these parties was fragile. Attempts to form an alliance began in 2023 when Bhupen Bora was Assam Congress president and they put up a united front ahead of the Lok Sabha elections last year. However, this collapsed due to seat sharing ahead of by-elections to some Assembly seats in November. An attempt to revive this alliance collapsed again earlier this year, before the panchayat elections. This is the third attempt to tie this alliance together.
The two emerging regional parties, Raijor Dal and RJD, are likely to demand the maximum number of seats among other opposition parties. While Raijor Dal’s Akhil Gogoi had already announced in September that the party wants to contest 36 seats, the RJD leader said the party aims to contest 14-16 seats out of 126.
Meanwhile, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, commenting on Wednesday’s meeting, said: “When Bhupen Bora was Congress president, we used to hear about such meetings every week. They would talk among themselves, and then fight among themselves. We have been watching this for the past four years. With the upcoming elections, we will see more of this now.”
(Tags for translation) Jitendra Singh Alwar
