Outgoing state Cong chief for oppn alliance ahead of '26 polls

Time of India

27-05-2025

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Guwahati: Outgoing APCC president Bhupen Kumar Borah on Tuesday expressed hope for reconstructing the opposition alliance that collapsed last year due to unsuccessful seat-sharing negotiations in the less significant assembly bypolls.
This comes a day after the party announced the appointment of Gaurav Gogoi, the deputy leader of Congress in Lok Sabha and MP from Jorhat, as the new state PCC chief.
During a press conference, Borah emphasised the importance of avoiding alignment with Badruddin Ajmal's AIUDF, while opposing the 'communal' BJP. "On AIUDF, my stance on alliance politics was clear even before I became state PCC President. I wrote to the Congress leadership even then, when we were fighting against BJP, which is promoting communal division, we should not join hands with another communal force (AIUDF)," Borah said.
Borah added that his recommendations were overlooked during the 2021 assembly election, resulting in a Congress-AIUDF alliance, but it could not succeed. However, he asserted that when he became the state PCC chief, the alliance with AIUDF was terminated immediately. "If we want to fight against RSS-BJP, and join hands with another communal force, what will the people of Assam think? We should realise this," Borah added.
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On May 15, during discussions about potential reshuffling with party leadership, Borah advocated for alliance-building with other like-minded parties of the state rather than independent campaigning ahead of the 2026 assembly polls. "Anti-BJP people must be united. When other leaders like Akhil Gogoi, Lurinjyoti Gogoi, Ajit Kumar Bhuyan and Manoranjan Talukdar called me yesterday, I told them to continue efforts to form the opposition alliance.
I will also continue to do the same," Borah said.
Borah expressed appreciation to AICC for his four-year tenure as Assam PCC President, arguably one of the most challenging periods for Assam Congress, following two consecutive assembly election defeats in 2016 and 2021. Opposition leaders praised his efforts in establishing the 18-party opposition forum Asom Sanmilito Morcha (ASM). Despite Congress's current absence, other parties remain optimistic about future reunification and seat-sharing arrangements under ASM for the 2026 assembly polls.
Borah mentioned that despite being in his early forties, Gaurav's political experience includes three consecutive Lok Sabha victories, earning recognition from both treasury and opposition parliamentarians during discussions in Lok Sabha. He noted the improved political climate for Congress, recalling earlier challenges: "When I became Assam PCC President, people were hesitating to come forward to take posts.
Seventeen district presidents resigned, in 64 blocks there were no presidents, in BTR and Hailakandi Congress was zero," Borah said.