Assam by-polls: Oppn alliance crumbles as Congress fields BJP defector from Behali
Congress' solo candidate choice in Behali by-poll leads to backlash from alliance partners
Jayanta Bora visits the residence of Biswanath district Congress president Dilip Baruah ahead of filing nomination.
Guwahati, Oct 24: The Opposition's efforts to unite against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) juggernaut in the upcoming by-polls for five Assam Assembly seats have collapsed.
After rigorous discussions to field a united nominee under the Asom Sanmalito Morcha from the Behali seat failed, the Congress decided to go solo in the constituency, nominating BJP turncoat Jayanta Bora as its candidate. This decision has drawn sharp reactions from its alliance partners.
"Bora is a strong contender. Even among the five-member committee that we set up to draft reports from the by-poll-bound seats ahead of announcing nominations, everyone agreed that Bora would be a perfect fit to take on the BJP," said former president of ASOM and state Congress chief Bhupen Borah on Thursday.
However, Borah appealed to the 16 parties that are part of ASOM not to be discouraged by the developments leading up to the by-polls and expressed hope that they would regroup ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections.
"We'll try again in 2026. For matters related to the by-polls, let's not drift away from our unanimous goal — the defeat of the BJP," he told the press.
The Congress' attempt at appeasement, after what the other ASOM parties termed "betrayal" ahead of the by-polls, hasn't gone down well with the alliance, including Raijor Dal and Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist), CPI-ML.
Akhil Gogoi, Raijor Dal chief, has lashed out at the Congress, accusing the Grand Old Party of "historical betrayal" and noting that the party has a track record of such behaviour. "Despite commitments made to 16 political parties, Congress has failed to uphold its promises. They have no ethics; they're power-hungry, and that has cost the united Opposition front," said Gogoi.
The CPI-ML has also slammed Congress for choosing a BJP defector to contest from the Behali seat.
“In Behali, the Congress and BJP are two sides of the same coin. We have already said that there is a chance Jayanta Bora could return to the BJP if he wins from Behali. So, regardless of who wins — BJP's Diganta Ghatowar or Congress' Jayanta Bora — it will ultimately be the BJP that benefits," said Lakhikanta Kurmi, the CPI-ML candidate for the seat.
