Assam: Congress–Raijor Dal alliance talks hit deadlock over Dhing seat

Guwahati: The proposed pre-poll alliance between the Congress and in Assam appears to have hit a deadlock after prolonged seat-sharing negotiations failed to produce a consensus, with the regional party attributing the breakdown to the Congress’ refusal to concede the Dhing Assembly constituency in Nagaon district.
In a statement issued on Sunday, Raijor Dal president Akhil Gogoi said repeated rounds of discussions between the two parties had failed despite the regional party progressively reducing its seat demands in an effort to reach an agreement.
According to Akhil Gogoi, Raijor Dal had initially proposed contesting 27 seats but later brought the number down to 20 and subsequently to 15 in order to facilitate a compromise with the Congress. The Congress eventually agreed to allocate 13 seats, though only four of them were from the list of constituencies proposed by Raijor Dal. Even after indicating its willingness to accept most of the Congress’ conditions, the party insisted on retaining the Dhing constituency, which eventually became the principal sticking point in the negotiations.
Raijor Dal also expressed dissatisfaction over a joint press conference held on March 6 by the Congress along with three other opposition parties from which it was excluded, stating that the development had hurt the party’s self-respect.
In the statement, the party further alleged that it had repeatedly made concessions to help build a united opposition front against the BJP but claimed that the Congress had attempted to pressure it into accepting its terms.
Despite the apparent deadlock, leaders in the Congress indicated that efforts to revive the alliance were still under way. Dispur Congress candidate Mira Borthakur said Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president Gaurav Gogoi had travelled to New Delhi on Sunday to consult the party’s central leadership on the issue.
She said the APCC leadership remained keen on forging an alliance with Raijor Dal and expressed hope that discussions with the All India Congress Committee leadership would help resolve the differences. She added that a final decision would be taken after consultations with the party’s central leadership.
Meanwhile, Raijor Dal’s candidate for the Jalukbari constituency in Kamrup (Metropolitan) district, Ramen Borthakur, said he would reconsider contesting from the seat if the alliance with the Congress does not materialise. In that case, he indicated that he may instead contest from the Dispur constituency, reiterating the party’s commitment to defeating the BJP in the state.