"I don’t give a damn to Gaurav": Sherman Ali on alliance talks with Congress

Newly joined Raijor Dal leader Sherman Ali has declared that he will contest the upcoming elections from the Mandia constituency and doesn't give a damn to alliance talks or to MP Gaurav Gogoi. 

Sherman Ali made it unequivocally clear that his decision to contest from Mandia is final and non-negotiable, regardless of whether an alliance materialises between opposition parties. “It is final that I will contest from Mandia constituency. I don't care if alliance takes place or not. I am least bothered about it. I don't give a damn to the alliance,” he said, underlining his firm stand.

His remarks are seen as a direct challenge to the Congress leadership, particularly targeting senior party figures such as Abdul Khaleque and Gaurav Gogoi. Questioning Khaleque’s commitment to defeating the BJP, Sherman Ali asked whether the opposition was genuinely serious about unseating the ruling party or merely engaging in rhetoric.

“Is Khaleque Sahab trying his best to remove BJP from power or not? If they are looking forward to the removal of BJP from power then tell whether the opposition is in the position in Sivasagar who can dethrone BJP via alliance?” he remarked, expressing scepticism over the effectiveness of a united front.

He further claimed that even a consolidated opposition alliance would struggle to unseat the BJP, asserting that he had already predicted such an outcome. In a particularly provocative statement, he labelled Abdul Khaleque as the “real agent of BJP,” escalating tensions within the opposition ranks.

Taking aim at Gaurav Gogoi, Sherman Ali dismissed the Congress MP’s political relevance to his own electoral plans. “Gaurav is nobody for me. It doesn’t matter what he says. I will fight from Mandia. That is final,” he reiterated.

The strong remarks come at a time when opposition unity has been projected as a key strategy to challenge the BJP’s dominance in Assam. However, Sherman Ali’s declaration suggests deep divisions and competing ambitions within the opposition camp, potentially complicating seat-sharing negotiations and alliance arithmetic.