Assam BJP alleges Gaurav Gogoi following pro-miya ideology; says opposition rift limited to 22 constituencies

The Bharatiya Janata Party’s Assam unit on February 24 alleged that Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi is drawing ideological inspiration from pro-Miya leaders such as Muhammad Saadulla and Maulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani, and claimed that the ongoing Opposition infighting in the state is confined to 22 Miya-dominated constituencies.

Addressing a press conference at the party’s state headquarters, Atal Bihari Vajpayee Bhawan in Guwahati, BJP State Spokesperson Kalyan Gogoi said that while the Congress once produced leaders such as Gopinath Bordoloi, Bishnuram Medhi, and Bimala Prasad Chaliha, who championed the cause of indigenous communities, the present leadership under Gogoi appears focused on mobilising support in Miya-dominated seats.

He alleged that the Opposition’s much-publicised narrative of unity has repeatedly failed in practice. Referring to the 2021 Assembly elections, subsequent by-elections, and Panchayat polls, the spokesperson claimed that the Congress invoked Opposition unity but ultimately contested independently. He further stated that out of 800 applications received from across 126 constituencies, more than 600 were from Miya-dominated regions such as Chenga, Dhing, Chamaria, and Dalgaon.
 
According to him, this reflects a disproportionate concentration of Congress’s electoral activity in minority-majority areas. He asserted that while the BJP maintains a lead in 104 indigenous-majority constituencies, the Opposition remains internally divided within the 22 Miya-dominated seats.

Highlighting the party’s upcoming outreach initiative, Kalyan Gogoi announced that the “Jan Ashirwad Yatra” will be held from February 28 to March 9 under the initiative of the Assam Pradesh Bharatiya Janata Party. The first phase of the campaign will cover 43 Assembly constituencies and will be led by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.

He said that after completing five years in office, the Yatra aims to gather public opinion and collect up to one lakh suggestions daily to shape future development plans for the state. The spokesperson described the programme as both a public outreach initiative and the formal beginning of the party’s campaign for the 2026 Assembly elections.