Assam Assembly Polls 2026: Congress–Raijor Dal alliance collapses; Akhil Gogoi accuses Gaurav Gogoi of ‘arrogance’

The attempt to forge a united opposition front in Assam ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections has suffered a major setback, with the regional party Raijor Dal accusing the Indian National Congress of arrogance, unilateral decision-making, and deliberately sabotaging alliance talks. The party alleged that the Assam unit of the Congress formally excluded it from the proposed opposition alliance during a meeting of four parties held in Guwahati on March 6, marking what it described as the final collapse of negotiations.

The controversy centres on the conduct of Gaurav Gogoi, whom Raijor Dal leaders accused of displaying an “arrogant attitude” and a lack of genuine interest in building a broad anti-BJP coalition.

Raijor Dal stated that it was formally kept out of the alliance meeting and press conference of four opposition parties held in Guwahati on March 6. The event effectively finalised an alliance arrangement without the participation of Raijor Dal, which the party described as “deeply disrespectful”.

According to the party, both the verbal remarks and body language of Assam Pradesh Congress Committee president Gaurav Gogoi during the press conference suggested a lack of commitment to an inclusive opposition alliance. The press conference held at the Green Wood Resort in Beltola, Guwahati, was cited as an example where Gogoi reportedly avoided addressing Raijor Dal’s inclusion directly, instead making vague statements such as “our doors are open”.

Raijor Dal leaders also referred to the earlier Assam United Civil Society Convention held on July 6, 2025, alleging that Gogoi had then also refrained from clearly endorsing a broad opposition alliance.

The principal point of disagreement between the Congress and Raijor Dal was seat sharing for the 2026 Assembly elections.

Raijor Dal initially demanded 27 seats in the proposed alliance — roughly comparable to the 26 seats sought by the Assam Jatiya Parishad. However, after Congress objected to the figure as excessive, Raijor Dal said it reduced its demand first to 20 seats and later to 15.

According to Raijor Dal, Congress ultimately offered only 13 seats through its four-member negotiation committee. Of these, the party claimed only four were constituencies of its own choice, while four were proposed as “friendly contests” and five were constituencies suggested by Congress.

The regional party argued that this effectively reduced its bargaining position from 27 seats to just four seats of direct choice.

Dhing Seat Emerges as Breaking Point

As negotiations stalled, Raijor Dal proposed a compromise: it would accept all conditions of Congress if it was allowed to contest directly from the Dhing Assembly Constituency in Nagaon district, where it claims to have a strong organisational base.

However, the Congress reportedly refused to vacate the seat.

Instead, Raijor Dal was offered the Dalgaon Assembly Constituency as a direct seat. The party alleged that even this proposal faced resistance from local Congress workers, who launched protests and campaigns against the idea of a Raijor Dal candidate contesting there.

Raijor Dal further claimed that no disciplinary action was taken by the state Congress leadership to control such protests.

Another point of friction was Congress’ decision to release candidate lists during the negotiation process.

Raijor Dal alleged that Congress unilaterally declared candidates in several constituencies including Dimou Assembly Constituency, Borsola Assembly Constituency, Margherita Assembly Constituency, Dispur Assembly Constituency and Duliajan Assembly Constituency — constituencies which the regional party said were part of its own shortlist.

Despite this, Raijor Dal claimed it had initially refrained from announcing candidates in disputed constituencies in order to preserve the possibility of an alliance.

Beyond seat sharing, Raijor Dal highlighted ideological differences between the two parties.

While the Congress describes itself as a national party, Raijor Dal characterises its political philosophy as regional nationalist, federalist, and rooted in socialist and progressive principles. The party said it was willing to set aside these differences only to build a broader coalition against what it described as the “communal and fascist politics” of the BJP-RSS combine.

According to Raijor Dal leaders, the Congress leadership was unwilling to discuss a Common Minimum Programme — a key demand the regional party said was essential for a meaningful alliance.

Raijor Dal also pointed to past episodes of friction with the Congress, particularly during the 2021 Assam Legislative Assembly election, when it alleged that Congress reneged on earlier commitments after entering into an arrangement with the Bodoland People’s Front.

The party further noted that during the 2024 Indian general election, Congress did not allot any parliamentary seat to Raijor Dal despite the latter campaigning for Congress candidates in several constituencies.

Raijor Dal said it had sent an official letter to the Congress on February 20 following the February 19 negotiation meeting, but alleged that the party never responded.

With the March 6 alliance meeting going ahead without Raijor Dal, the regional party concluded that further talks were no longer possible.

“We were prepared to make sacrifices for a united opposition front to defeat the BJP,” the party stated, adding that it could not accept a situation where it was expected to surrender completely in alliance negotiations.

The collapse of talks raises fresh questions about opposition unity in Assam as political parties begin preparing for the crucial 2026 Assembly elections.