GUWAHATI: Assam’s Congress-led Opposition front received a shot in the arm on Thursday as the Raijor Dal decided to join it.
Activist-turned-Raijor Dal president Akhil Gogoi said his party reached an understanding with the Congress.
Following this development, the Opposition front now has six parties – Congress, Raijor Dal, Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP), CPI(M), CPI(ML) and All Party Hill Leaders Conference (APHLC).
“We have signed an MoU. The Raijor Dal has decided to work from today to get Gaurav Gogoi as the next Chief Minister,” Akhil said at a press conference on Thursday night, flanked by Gaurav who is the Jorhat MP and Assam Congress president.
Akhil claimed that the people of the state were not happy under Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma-led government. “Under BJP-RSS rule, Assam’s social fabric has been destroyed,” he alleged.
Announcing that the Opposition parties will work together to defeat the BJP in the April 9 elections, he appealed to people in the state to get ready to uproot “fascism and corruption” under the BJP rule.
The Congress and the Raijor Dal could not come together earlier due to differences over seat-sharing deal.
The Congress has announced the names of 87 candidates so far with one withdrawing candidacy, Raijor Dal 13, AJP 10, CPI(M) 2 and APHLC 2. There are only two seats where both the Congress and the Raijor Dal have fielded candidates.
Two days ago, a group of 171 prominent citizens of the state had appealed to the Congress and the Raijor Dal to iron out differences and join hands to defeat the BJP.
In a joint statement, the citizens’ group – comprising academicians, intellectuals, social activists, and professionals – said as Assam stood on the cusp of a critical Assembly election, the political trajectory of the past decade had reached a decisive juncture.
“For those of us who believe in a democratic and secular future for our state, the necessity of resisting the incumbent BJP administration is no longer a matter of choice, but an imperative,” said the citizens group.