Guwahati: Amid emerging divisions following the Congress party’s unilateral decision to field a candidate for the Behali constituency, the Asom Sonmilito Morcha, formerly known as the United Opposition Forum, Assam, has resolved to continue its electoral journey without the Congress. Unity among the alliance partners has been established as the alliance’s guiding principle moving forward.
AICC General Secretary K.C. Venugopal announced late Wednesday that former BJP leader Jayanta Borah would be the Congress’s official candidate for Behali LAC, a decision that not only deepened fractures within the alliance but also undermined the Morcha’s intended united front against the ruling BJP for both upcoming bypolls and the 2026 Assembly elections.
Jayanta Borah, who recently resigned from the BJP after being denied a party ticket, formally joined Congress on Thursday in the presence of Jorhat MP and Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi. The Congress’s decision to field a candidate for Behali prompted a key meeting of the Asom Sonmilito Morcha on Thursday, where it was decided that Rajya Sabha MP and founder-president of the regional party Anchalik Gana Morcha, Ajit Kumar Bhuyan, would become the new president of the Opposition alliance in Assam.
This development follows the resignation of ASOM president Bhupen Kumar Borah on Tuesday amid a deadlock over candidate nominations for the Behali seat, where alliance partner CPI(ML) had previously committed to fielding a candidate.
Explaining the Congress’s delayed decision to independently field a candidate, Assam PCC President Bhupen Kumar Borah stated that the AICC prioritized candidate “winnability” over a unified candidate proposed by the Opposition alliance. “The party decided that Jayanta Borah was the right candidate for Behali. In fact, one member of the five-member committee had also indicated that Borah should be the candidate for that seat,” the state Congress chief noted.
Speaking to the media, ASOM General Secretary Lurinjyoti Gogoi reiterated that the Opposition alliance would now proceed without the Congress. “The alliance will continue without Congress as it betrayed the alliance by unilaterally deciding to field a candidate for Behali and subsequently nominating their own candidate in a seat where the CPI(ML) had already indicated it would nominate a candidate,” Gogoi stated.
During the meeting, it was confirmed that Rajya Sabha MP Ajit Bhuyan would succeed Bhupen Borah as the new president of ASOM. “The Asom Sonmilito Morcha firmly believes that unity is the fundamental principle of the Opposition alliance in our objective to defeat the ruling BJP in upcoming elections,” Gogoi said, adding that the CPI(ML) would announce its candidate for Behali shortly.
The Congress is now set to field candidates in all five bypoll constituencies – Samaguri, Behali, Dholai, Sidli, and Bongaigaon. As for fielding candidates from the Opposition alliance in other bypoll seats, ASOM’s general secretary noted that the Morcha is considering some proposals and will decide soon.
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