Guwahati: The Akhil Gogoi-led Raijor Dal has declared that it would not engage in any further discussions with the Indian National Congress regarding a possible opposition alliance for the forthcoming Assam Legislative Assembly elections 2026.
In December last year, several opposition parties—including the Congress, Communist Party of India (Marxist), Raijor Dal, Assam Jatiya Parishad, Communist Party of India, Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) Liberation, Jatiya Dal-Asom and the All Party Hill Leaders Conference from Karbi Anglong—had agreed to explore contesting the Assembly polls together under a common platform.
In a statement, Raijor Dal levelled several allegations against the Congress and its Assam unit president Gaurav Gogoi, accusing them of backing out of the proposed alliance.
The party cited a recent joint press conference held by four opposition parties that did not include Raijor Dal.
On Friday, the Congress, CPI(M), Assam Jatiya Parishad and APHLC addressed a joint press briefing in Guwahati and announced plans to launch a coordinated campaign for the upcoming Assembly elections.
According to Raijor Dal, the Congress effectively ended the alliance on March 6 by aligning with three other parties. The party questioned why it had been excluded despite what it described as its willingness to maintain unity among opposition groups.
The statement further alleged that the Congress had demanded an “unconditional surrender” from Raijor Dal during negotiations—something the party said it was unwilling to accept.
Raijor Dal said it had sought 15 seats in the proposed alliance along with the adoption of a Common Minimum Programme (CMP). However, it claimed that Gaurav Gogoi opposed the idea of a CMP and that disagreements over respect and negotiation terms ultimately led to the collapse of talks.
The elections to the 126-member Assam Assembly are expected to be held in April. The upcoming polls will be the first in the state after the delimitation exercise conducted in 2023.
Responding to questions at the March 6 press conference about whether talks with Raijor Dal and other opposition groups had broken down, Gaurav Gogoi said that the parties coming together had sent a clear message of unity, while adding that discussions with other groups were still open.
Raijor Dal, however, claimed that the opposition parties had formally met only once—on February 19—to discuss the possibility of an alliance. It alleged that the personal interests of leaders within the Congress had taken precedence during the negotiations.
The party also said it had sent a letter to the Congress the day after the February 19 meeting when talks failed to progress. According to Raijor Dal, the Congress had not responded to the communication, which it described as a sign of disrespect that hurt the party’s self-respect.
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Initially, Raijor Dal had demanded 27 seats from the Congress as part of a seat-sharing arrangement, but the Congress considered the demand excessive. The party later reduced its claim to 15 seats, while the Congress reportedly offered 13 seats.
