Panchayat polls: Raijor Dal bats for alliance, Congress bogs down in bickering
As a ‘goodwill gesture’, Raijor Dal has decided to contest only a limited number of seats, leaving the majority to other like-minded Opposition parties;
Guwahati, April 7: With panchayat elections around the corner, Opposition parties in state are scrambling to halt the BJP-led NDA juggernaut. In a renewed push for unity, Raijor Dal on Monday once again urged all anti-BJP forces to come together for a consolidated fight.
“We must contest the panchayat polls together. Many a time, we’ve told the Congress—fight from the maximum number of seats, we don’t have a problem. In fact, we will support you,” said Raijor Dal chief Akhil Gogoi in Goalpara. “We are even ready to campaign for them, whenever they call us,” he added.
Gogoi pointed out that the NDA has already firmed up its alliance for the May elections and warned that a divided Opposition would only hand the advantage to the ruling coalition.
He urged the Congress to “come back to reality” and treat the upcoming panchayat polls as a dress rehearsal for the crucial 2026 Assembly elections.
“We are together in ideology, but we’re not fighting together. If we don’t present an united face, it will be suicidal—not just for the Congress, but for the democratic fabric of the state,” the Sivasagar MLA warned.
As a goodwill gesture, Raijor Dal has decided to contest only a limited number of seats, leaving the majority to other like-minded Opposition parties.
“Since the ruling alliance is contesting together and we aren’t, they’re clearly at an advantage. To counter that, we’ve chosen to field candidates in only a few seats,” Gogoi added.
He reiterated that fighting separately would only split the anti-BJP vote, effectively boosting the ruling alliance’s prospects. “We must not let our differences benefit them. We need unity and a grassroots people’s movement.”
However, while Raijor Dal is extending an olive branch, the Congress continues to be mired in internal rifts. After legislator Abdur Rahim Ahmed, now Laharighat MLA Asif Mohammed Nazar has raised objections over the candidate selection process.
In a letter to Leader of Opposition Debabrata Saikia, Nazar reportedly complained that the party was ignoring preferable candidates from his constituency.
Brushing aside the discontent, Saikia said, “Since the Congress is a big party, such differences of opinion are natural. Unlike the BJP, which is adept at concealing such rifts, we haven’t mastered that art. But attempts to assert influence aren’t limited to our party—they happen everywhere.”
As Assam gears up for the May panchayat polls, political observers are watching closely to see whether the Opposition can rally together—or if it will collapse like the short-lived Asom Sonmilito Morcha did just before the 2024 by-polls.
