Guwahati, Feb 20: The Chief of regional party in Assam, Raijor Dal, and Sivasagar legislator Akhil Gogoi on Friday expressed strong dissatisfaction over the outcome of the recent meeting between the Congress and Raijor Dal, particularly over the issue of seat-sharing for the upcoming elections in the state.
Speaking to reporters, Gogoi said the Congress leadership had changed its stand on the seat-sharing arrangement, which, according to him, had caused confusion and mistrust among alliance partners.
He said he would be sending a letter to the Congress leadership to formally convey his dissatisfaction over the developments. “We have asked for only 15 seats. But even within that, the Congress has changed seats involving important candidates,” Akhil Gogoi said, alleging that the decisions taken were unilateral and did not reflect the spirit of alliance politics.
He added that such changes could adversely affect the collective objective of defeating the BJP. The Raijor Dal leader stressed that clarity and mutual respect were essential for any opposition alliance to function effectively.
He said repeated delays and shifting positions by the Congress were weakening the morale of grassroots workers and confusing voters. Akhil Gogoi further said that seat-sharing should be finalised immediately instead of being delayed repeatedly. “This cannot be ‘date after date’.
There must be an immediate and clear seat-sharing arrangement,” he said, warning that prolonged indecision would only benefit the BJP. Echoing similar concerns, Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) president Lurinjyoti Gogoi also issued a cautionary message to the Congress.
He said that if the Congress was serious about defeating the BJP in Assam, it must understand the ground realities and respect the concerns of its allies. “The Congress should realise that unity and timely decisions are crucial to take on the BJP. Any delay or lack of coordination will weaken the opposition’s fight,” Lurinjyoti Gogoi said.
The developments come amid ongoing negotiations among opposition parties in Assam to forge a united front against the ruling BJP. However, differences over seat-sharing and coordination continue to pose challenges, raising questions over the cohesiveness of the proposed alliance ahead of the polls.
IANS
