Cloud over oppn unity as Akhil seeks 12-15 seats from Cong

Guwahati: Opposition unity in Assam reached uncertainty, as Raijor Dal president Akhil Gogoi fired off a ‘last letter’ to Congress, urging it to give up multiple seats in upper Assam for Raijor Dal, as opposition parties hoped for a seat-sharing arrangement in the coming days.

Akhil said Raijor Dal was offered only four ‘favourable seats’ and insisted on more in the upper Assam region for the alliance to be sealed.

Indigenous tribes and communities play a determining role in upper Assam, which has about 30 out of 126 assembly seats. “We are committed to the opposition alliance; that’s why we request Congress to give us 15 seats of our choice. Congress gave us only 4 seats of our choice. We want 15, or a minimum of 12 seats of our choice, if we are to be in the alliance,” Akhil said.




Following a meeting with the AICC leadership in New Delhi on Saturday, state PCC president Gaurav Gogoi said, “Every party has to sacrifice. Congress cannot sacrifice alone. We sacrificed more than expected.” Gaurav earlier annoyed other opposition parties by stating that Congress would contest 100 seats and only then consider giving seats to other alliance partners. Congress sources said the formula for finalising the seat-sharing deal is still pending, even as party leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra visited the state this week.

Akhil also argued that giving up 26 seats for 6 anti-BJP parties is not an equitable arrangement. “If Congress respects the standpoint of other parties and their aspirations, it will help in defeating BJP and allies,” he said on Saturday. He pressed Congress to take a final call by Monday.

Meanwhile, AIUDF can hurt the opposition by splitting votes in some minority-dominated seats in Assam, as AIUDF chief Badruddin Ajmal said his party will move ahead with candidates in 25 seats if Congress and Raijor Dal exclude AIUDF from the alliance.

On the other hand, Assam Jatiya Parishad urged Congress to wrap up seat sharing before it becomes ‘too late’ for opposition parties. AJP president Lurinjyoti Gogoi said, “If we really want to defeat BJP, we have to go ahead with understanding and sacrifice.”