AT Photo: Lurinjyoti Gogoi addressing press conference in Guwahati
Guwahati, Oct 24: Following the fallout with the Congress party, the remaining members of the Asom Sonmilito Morcha (ASOM) have announced their decision to continue their fight against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) without them.
The Opposition alliance introduced Rajya Sabha MP Ajit Kumar Bhuyan as their new president, while Jone Ingti Kathar, president of the All Party Hill Leaders Conference (APHLC), and Suprakash Talukdar, Secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI-M), will serve as working presidents. Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) chief Lurinjyoti Gogoi will retain his role as General Secretary of the alliance.
“The communal BJP must be eradicated from Assam, and we remain united in this fight. Yes, Congress betrayed us by announcing their candidate without any prior notice, but we will carry on without them,” said AJP chief Gogoi, post the meeting of the parties on Thursday, in Guwahati.
Gogoi said that the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) (CPI-ML) is ready with their candidate for the Behali by-poll and the alliance is yet to decide whether it will contest the other four by-poll-bound seats.
When asked about the possibility of partnering with Congress for the 2026 state assembly elections, Gogoi avoided elaborating, focusing instead on the current by-polls.
This development comes after the Congress broke away from the alliance on Wednesday by nominating BJP defector Jayanta Bora for the Behali constituency, a decision that led to widespread discontent among ASOM members.
Raijor Dal chief Akhil Gogoi strongly criticised the Congress, accusing the party of "historical betrayal" and highlighting its “pattern of breaking promises”. “Congress has failed the 16 political parties that were part of this alliance. Their power-hungry ways have hurt the united opposition,” said Akhil Gogoi.
Despite the setback, ASOM remains determined to challenge the BJP in the upcoming elections, without Congress in their ranks.
