Gaurav Gogoi
Credit: PTI Photo
Guwahati: Making a pitch for a tough battle ahead against the ruling BJP-led alliance, Assam Congress president Gaurav Gogoi on Wednesday announced that at least eight opposition parties have decided to unitedly contest the state assembly elections due next year.
The elections to the 126-member assembly are likely to take place in March-April of next year.
"We (opposition parties) had a threadbare discussion on various topics. To free the people of Assam from the BJP's torture and CM Himanta Biswa Sarma's injustice, we all are united. We will contest the 2026 assembly elections together. This was the main decision of today's meeting," Gogoi told reporters.
There are other issues, which will be informed to the public gradually in the coming days, he added.
In the meeting convened by Congress, CPI(M), Raijor Dal, Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP), CPI, CPI(ML), Jatiya Dal-Asom (JDA) and Karbi Anglong-based All Party Hill Leaders Conference (APHLC) joined hands to fight the assembly elections from a common platform.
Commenting on the meeting, Raijor Dar MLA Akhil Gogoi told PTI that going forward, all the opposition parties will have a coordinated approach on all major issues.
"In the coming Winter Session of the Assembly, all the opposition parties will raise their voice unitedly. We will be together on every platform," he added.
It was decided in the meeting all individual parties to finalise their agenda in the coming few days and meet again within this month to start deliberations on the common manifesto of the opposition parties, Gogoi said.
"In this opposition unity, AIUDF will not be a part at all. It is equally a communal party like the BJP. This opposition alliance is strictly against any form of communalism," he added.
AJP president Lurinjyoti Gogoi said the meeting was a success and there will be a unified fight against the BJP in the upcoming Assembly elections.
"We will move forward and fight strongly against the BJP. We are looking for the love and blessings of the people of Assam," he said in a post on Facebook.
Presently, the ruling BJP's strength in the 126-member Assam Assembly is 64, while its allies AGP has nine MLAs, UPPL has seven and BPF has three members. In the opposition camp, the Congress' strength is 26, AIUDF has 15 members and CPI(M) has one MLA. There is one Independent legislator also.
In August, several NDA leaders such as Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma, Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and AGP chief Atul Bora had set a target of winning 100 seats in next year's assembly polls.