Dissent brews in Congress over Assam seat-sharing even as party releases 2nd poll list

The Congress, which has taken a lead in releasing names of its candidates for the upcoming Assembly elections in Assam, unveiled its second list on Saturday (March 14) night, comprising 23 nominees. This means the Grand-Old Party, which is eyeing a return to power in the north-eastern state after a decade by toppling the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has now declared candidates for more than half (65) of the state’s 126 Assembly seats.

The names of some of the candidates who have featured in the second list are: Kartik Chandra Ray (Golakganj constituency), Wazed Ali Choudhury (Birsing Jarua), Amrit Bhadsa (Bilasipara), Abdul Khaleque (Mandia), and Pranjit Choudhury (Rangia), among others.

Also read: Defector drama pushes Congress-Raijor Dal alliance to the brink before Assam polls

The list renominated three sitting MLAs — Ali Choudhury, Abul Kalam Rasheed Alam from Goalpara East, and Rakibuddin Ahmed from Chamaria.

The Central Election Committee of Congress has selected the following persons as Congress candidates for the forthcoming elections to the Assam Legislative Assembly.

We congratulate everyone.#AssamWithCongress pic.twitter.com/b7Ar5RNlAD

— Assam Congress (@INCAssam) March 14, 2026

Among other prominent nominees in the list are former Barpeta MP Abdul Khaleque, who will contest from Mandia, Nurul Islam (Srijangram), Bipul Gogoi (Tingkhong), and Devid Phukan (Tinsukia), among others.

'Congress eyeing young faces'

Commenting on the second list, journalist and political analyst Sushanta Talukdar said, “The Congress appears to be giving priority to younger faces, such as Batash Urang in Dhekiajuli, instead of relying only on established leaders. It would be a positive move if Gaurav Gogoi (Assam Congress chief) succeeds in building a strong team of young leaders within the party.”

Party insiders said the second list reflects an attempt to balance experience with regional representation, covering constituencies across Lower Assam, Upper Assam and the Barak Valley.

Party leaves seats for allies despite dissents

The Congress has also left several seats open for its allies as part of a broader understanding within the state’s Opposition front, as it fine-tunes its strategy to unseat Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.

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Lurinjyoti Gogoi, president of Assam Jatiyo Parishad (AJP) and a key figure in the Opposition Asom Sonmilito Morcha (ASOM), is likely to contest from Khowang, although some Congress leaders from the area are uneasy about backing him as an alliance candidate. Jagadish Bhuyan, another leader from the AJP, is likely to enter the fray from Sadiya.

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) or CPI(M), another ally in the Opposition, will contest from the Bhowanipur–Sarbhog and Goreswar constituencies. While the sitting MLA from Bhowanipur–Sarbhog, Manoranjan Talukdar, will seek re-election, the party’s state secretary, Suprakash Talukdar, will contest from Goreswar.

Former Union minister Rajen Gohain, who recently switched to the AJP from the BJP, is expected to contest from Barhampur representing his new party.

Morigaon, Guwahati Central, Binnakandi, Dibrugarh, Palashbari, Behali, and Sarupathar are other seats that the Congress has conceded to the AJP.

Also read: Will Congress’ early start help it regain power in Assam?

However, the seat-sharing exercise with the allies has also triggered murmurs of dissent within the Congress in a few constituencies, particularly in Morigaon and Guwahati Central, where some leaders and party workers are reportedly unhappy with the decisions taken by the high command.

Congress leader from Morigaon quits

In Morigaon, senior Congress leader Ramesh Bordoloi, who had been eyeing the party ticket, resigned from the party soon after the seat was given to the AJP. Sources say he is likely to join the BJP.

The decision also raised eyebrows among the local Congress workers, who were wondering why the seat was given to the AJP despite the regional party having a limited organisational base there.

The AJP is expected to field Bani Das from Morigaon. He contested the 2021 Assembly election from the same seat but finished a distant second after the BJP’s Rama Kanta Deor. The Communist Party of India, backed by the Congress, ended third.

A senior leader of the party said on condition of anonymity that even during the 2021 election, when the CPI was part of the Congress-led grand alliance, sections of Congress workers were reluctant to fully back the alliance candidate. With the BJP maintaining a strong presence in the constituency, the fate of the opposition nominee remains uncertain.

Workers unhappy over Guwahati Central decision

Guwahati’s newly created Guwahati Central seat, widely considered a stronghold of the BJP-Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) combine, has emerged as another flashpoint.

Congress leader Kushal Sarma, who was aspiring for the ticket there, has already resigned after the seat was ceded to the ally. Leaders of the party felt the high command also ignored another potential leader, Banashree Gogoi, in the selection of candidates.

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The party is also negotiating with allies over the Karimganj North and Manas seats, where candidates are yet to be announced.

Since the Congress has not yet announced candidates for constituencies such as Ranganadi and Bihpuria, observers feel it has kept the door open for possible talks with Raijor Dal of Akhil Gogoi, a party with which the Grand-Old Party had been conducting prolonged talks for an alliance, but to no avail.

The Raijor Dal, however, has already declared its nominees for Naobaicha and Dhemaji, indicating that the party is moving ahead with its preparations.

The Congress has left the Behali seat to the Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) Liberation as part of its alliance arrangement.

The party has also moved closer to the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM). According to sources, the party has fielded Batash Urang from Dhekiajuli, reportedly in line with the preference expressed by JMM leaders.

In the hill districts, the Congress has left Diphu and Amri for the All-Party Hill Leaders Conference.

BJP, AJP yet to release lists

While the opposition alliance has moved ahead with candidate announcements, the ruling BJP and its ally AGP are yet to release their lists. According to party sources, the names are expected to be finalised after approval from the BJP Parliamentary Board, with an announcement likely on Tuesday (March 17).

Also read: Can Congress recover from Bhupen Borah's shocking exit?

The Aam Aadmi Party also unveiled a list of 41 candidates for the north-eastern state on Sunday (March 15). The list includes those who will contest from constituencies such as Naoboicha, Dergaon, and Gohpur.

All 126 constituencies in the state will go to polls on April 9, the Election Commission announced on Sunday. The results will be declared on May 4, along with those of West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry (Union Territory).