Assam elections: Congress, Raijor Dal finalise alliance; state party gets 11 seats

After days of negotiation and uncertainty, and major exits from the Congress party, the regional party Raijor Dal and Congress finalised seat-sharing arrangements for the Assam assembly polls.

It was decided that the national party will leave 11 constituencies for the other one, and there will be a friendly contest in two.

In a late-night development on Thursday (March 20) at Jorhat, leaders of the two parties, headed by state Congress president Gaurav Gogoi and Raijor Dal chief Akhil Gogoi, signed the agreement.

Akhil Gogoi will contest from Sivasagar, a seat he won in the last polls while still in prison on sedition charges for allegedly instigating violence during the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protests.

Seats for Raijor Dal

The Congress had given the Margherita seat to the Raijor Dal. Earlier, the national party had given it to Prateek Bordoloi, who decided not to contest on a Congress ticket after his father defected to the BJP earlier this week.

The other seats to be contested by Raijor Dal are Dalgaon, Dhing, Sissiborgaon, Digboi, Bokakhat, Manas, Tezpur and Kaliabor, while friendly contests will take place between the two parties in Goalpara (East) and Gauripur.

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The party has nominated a woman candidate, Gyanashree Bora, from the Mariani constituency.

Opposition alliance

The Opposition alliance now comprises six parties -- Congress, Raijor Dal, Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP), CPI(M), All Party Hill Leaders Conference (APHLC) and the CPI(ML).

The Congress has announced its complete list of 87 seats, the AJP in 10 seats while the CPI(M) and APHLC will contest in two seats each.

Gaurav Gogoi thanked the Raijor Dal president, his team, and everyone who worked to ensure the alliance took place.

"It is not easy for a party like Congress to give up seats, but the national leadership agreed in the interest of the state and its future," the Congress state chief said.

''After assessing the ground realities and being satisfied with our answers to the queries raised by the high command, it was agreed that the alliance takes place,” he added.

Also read: BJP's Assam gamble: Fresh faces, turncoats displace party heavyweights in 88-candidate list

Gaurav Gogoi said that several sections of the society, particularly some renowned civil society leaders, played a prominent role in ensuring the alliance takes place in the interest of the state and its people.

He appealed to all to work for the win of all candidates put up by the alliance's six parties.

"We have many dreams and aims to create a new Assam where the development of all and not just one person and his family, is ensured," Gogoi said.

'Free of Himanta Sarma'

People of Assam want to be free of Himanta Biswa Sarma's ''low level of politics'' where he uses fear and threats to intimidate people so he can remain in power, he claimed. The Raijor Dal president said that they decided to contest the elections unitedly to oust the BJP government, led by Himanta Biswa Sarma, and make Gaurav Gogoi the chief minister.

''People of Assam are dissatisfied with the BJP-RSS as they have changed the social fabric of the state, and there is a need to overthrow Sarma's undemocratic, corrupt and communal government,'' he said.

Akhil Gogoi urged the Jorhat electorate to vote for the Congress president, stating they have a ''historic opportunity to elect the state's future CM and help build a new Assam. "Jorhat will get a CM, and the entire state will get a youth leader who has made a mark on the national arena," he said.

Raijor Dal is contesting only 13 seats in the interest of the people and the future of the state to ensure that the BJP is defeated, he said. Akhil also apologised to those from the party who could not get a ticket.

The elections to the 126-member Assam assembly will be held on April 9. Votes will be counted on May 4.

(With agency inputs)