Alliance Talks With Raijor Dal Weaken, Says Gaurav Gogoi; Akhil Gogoi Issues Seat-Sharing Ultimatum

Guwahati: Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) chief Gaurav Gogoi on Wednesday said that momentum for an alliance with Raijor Dal has weakened compared to earlier, though he reiterated that the Congress remains in favour of a broader opposition alliance in Assam ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections.

“Earlier, the intensity regarding an alliance with Akhil Gogoi was higher. Now the momentum has reduced somewhat, but I am still in favour of an alliance,” he said.

Gogoi said that all details regarding alliance negotiations have been communicated to the party high command and claimed that discussions with some other parties have already been completed.

“Only formalities are left. We will soon make an official statement on alliances,” he added.

He also expressed dissatisfaction over Raijor Dal inducting two former Congress legislators, including a suspended MLA and another leader who had been under internal discussion over alleged anti-party activities.

“Congress was unhappy with these two MLAs. What does it mean when they are inducted into Raijor Dal? People understand everything,” he said.

Gaurav Gogoi further alleged that Akhil Gogoi often prefers to make sensitive political discussions public.

“He likes to say certain things in front of the media. That is not our tradition. Congress party know how to maintain confidentiality,” he said.

Referring to constituencies like Naoboicha, Dhing and Demow, Gogoi said the political situation has changed significantly after the Demow by-election and the subsequent panchayat elections.

On the Indo-Philippines issue, he dismissed the Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s remarks, saying,

“The Lok Sabha speaker’s letter is more important than the Chief Minister’s statement. Everything is clearly mentioned there. There is no need to give importance to the Chief Minister’s statement.”

Akhil Gogoi Sets Seat-Sharing Conditions, Warns of Political Fallout

Earlier today, Raijor Dal chief Akhil Gogoi said that no final alliance has been reached yet and issued strong conditions for any electoral understanding with Congress.

“There is no final decision on the alliance yet. We initially demanded 27 seats. They said it was too much. Then I went against my party’s steering committee and reduced it to 15 seats. But they gave us only 13 seats, and only four of those are our preferred seats,” he said.

He told the media that he had spoken to senior Congress leader Ripun Bora over the phone, seeking 12 constituencies of his party’s choice, and warned that failure to agree would indicate Congress’s lack of interest in an alliance.

“If they do not give us the seats we asked for, we will understand that Congress does not want an alliance. Let Congress openly say whether there will be an alliance or not,” he said.

Akhil Gogoi asserted that Raijor Dal has strong candidates in several Upper Assam constituencies and criticised Congress’s electoral strength.

“In the Demow by-election, we got around 27,000 votes, while Congress got less than 5,000. In Dhing and Naoboicha, our candidates are far ahead of Congress. In Naoboicha, we are in a very good position and will definitely win. Congress does not have such candidates there,” he claimed.

He added that his party demanded five minority-dominated seats but was given only one.

“If Congress wants to defeat the BJP, an alliance must happen. But if they want to show their strength, there will be no alliance,” he said.

Emotional and Defiant Remarks by Akhil Gogoi

Akhil Gogoi also made emotional and controversial remarks about political pressure and ideological positioning.

“I do not want to become UPPL chief Pramod Boro or Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) chief and current state minister Atul Bora. I want to be Akhil Gogoi. I want to stand straight with my spine,” he said.

He added that he is under immense stress due to uncertainty over alliances.

“I am in a lot of tension. I am running away from people. There is no party, no alliance. Congress must clearly say whether there will be an alliance or not. Even after reducing the demand to 12 seats, if Congress does not agree, I cannot betray the people. If needed, I will die,” he said.

He also said that if Congress disrespects his party’s demands, the responsibility of political consequences will lie with Congress.

“If Congress disrespects us, they must take the decision. If we accept everything Congress says, will Assam’s interests be fulfilled if we come to power?” he asked.

Friendly Contest Proposal and Constituency List

The Sibsagar legislator also proposed friendly contests in some constituencies, including Mandia, East Goalpara and Margherita.

He listed constituencies where Raijor Dal claims strong presence, including Sivasagar, Demow, Naoboicha, Dispur, Dhing, Borsola and others in Upper Assam.

Congress Workers Protest at Rajiv Bhawan

Meanwhile, internal dissent within Congress intensified as over 300 Congress workers from Dalgaon constituency staged a protest at Rajiv Bhawan in Guwahati against any move to hand over the seat to Raijor Dal on Wednesday.

Holding placards and raising slogans such as “Raijor Dal bye-bye,” the protesters demanded that Congress field its own candidate in Dalgaon.

“There are 11 or 12 ticket aspirants in Dalgaon. If any one of them is given the ticket, the Congress candidate will win by a huge margin,” the protesters claimed.

They submitted a memorandum to the party leadership and expressed hope that their demand would be accepted.

The protesters had also staged a demonstration in front of Gaurav Gogoi’s residence the previous night.

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