JOIN USAssam Assembly Elections: Anti-CAA activist Akhil Gogoi to contest from jail
Anti-CAA activist Akhil Gogoi, who is facing a sedition charge, has decided to contest the Assam Assembly elections from within judicial custody.
Gogoi, who is now lodged in Gauhati Medical College and Hospital because of health issues, is likely to file his nomination papers to contest from the Sivasagar constituency in eastern Assam. Sivasagar witnessed strong protest against the CAA.
Gogoi is in judicial custody since the violent protest against the CAA in December 2019.
Gogoi's organisation Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti launched a new party named Raijor Dal (people's party) and decided to contest the Assembly elections against the ruling BJP and the Opposition Congress. Akhil's party later decided to join hands with the Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP), another new party backed by the All Assam Students Union.
The two parties, however, rejected the Congress's offer to join the grand alliance of other Opposition parties.
The AJP and Raijor Dal are still in talks to finalise the seat-sharing arrangements.
"We have collected the papers for filing Akhil's nomination. He will contest from Sivasagar due to strong demand from voters there," Akhil's close aide and leader of Raijor Dal, Dhaijjya Konwar told reporters in Guwahati.
The Supreme Court last month refused to grant bail to Gogoi, leaving him with no option but to contest the polls from within the jail. An arrested candidate can fight an election till he or she is convicted for the charges levelled by the police or investigation agencies.
The NIA, which is probing Gogoi's case, accused the peasants' rights leader of having links with the CPI (Maoists). The NIA, in its chargesheets, alleged that Gogoi's aides had undergone arms training in Maoists camps. Gogoi denied the charges and alleged that the BJP was trying to muzzle his voice for protesting against the CAA.
Gogoi has been vocal against the BJP on the CAA, big dam projects and several other issues.
On Tuesday, he released a letter from jail in which he appealed to all other opposition parties to field a common candidate to defeat the BJP in each of Assam's 126 constituencies.