GUWAHATI, August 11: In a slight change in stance, Sibsagar MLA and Raijor Dal president Akhil Gogoi on Wednesday said that it was ready for a “constituency-centric” alliance with Opposition Congress before the Assembly bypolls even if All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) remained in the Mahajot (Grand Alliance).
Addressing reporters, Gogoi said, “If the AIUDF remained in the Mahajot, we cannot be a part of the Grand Alliance. This has been and will be our principle and policy. However, even if the AIUDF remains in the Mahajot, the Raijor Dal will propose to have a one-on-one understanding with Congress on seat-sharing.”
“Discussions are on with the Congress leaders and we are looking for a united fight against BJP If we contest the by-polls together with Congress, then we can certainly defeat BJP in at least three of the five constituencies that are going to the bypolls,” the Sivasagar MLA said.
According to Gogoi, the Raijor Dal would propose to have a pact in at least two constituencies- Mariani and Thowra – two seats held for consecutive terms by Congress MLAs who have joined the ruling BJP recently.
“Our policy is clear and we can never be with AIUDF…But the understanding would be for two seats, Mariani and Thowra, where AIUDF does not have a presence,” he said.
The Raijor Dal chief had earlier reiterated that while it “is interested to align with the Opposition Congress to defeat the ruling BJP in the upcoming by-elections, such an alliance could only happen if the AIUDF exited the Mahajot.”
While the Congress has not given any official confirmation, citing that the matter would have to be discussed at the core committee meeting, a delegation from the Opposition party led by working presidents had visited the Raijor Dal’s headquarters here last Sunday to meet Gogoi.
The regional party had also maintained a similar stand before the March-April Assembly polls in the state this year and the pre-poll alliance did not work out then.
Post the results, the Congress claimed that they lost the elections as votes were shared because Raijor Dal, and another regional party, Assam Jatiya Parishad, did not contest from a united Opposition platform.