“Congress Needs To Be More Collaborative, Unity Only Key”: Lurinjyoti Gogoi Exclusive

Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) president Lurinjyoti Gogoi has held the Congress party responsible for the opposition’s poor performance in the recently held Panchayat elections, citing a lack of coordination and unity among anti-BJP forces.

In an exclusive interview with Pratidin Time, Gogoi emphasized that the failure to forge a united front has paved the way for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) sweeping victory in the polls, whose final counting is expected to conclude by this evening.

"See, it has been proven by now that elections in our country are getting increasingly polarized. It is BJP versus the opposition. In such a scenario, fragility among the opposition is suicidal. The opposition, especially the Congress, needs to work on this," Gogoi said.

He cited specific examples from the elections, such as Nahoroni ZPC in the Khowang constituency, where AJP and Congress-backed candidates contested separately, resulting in a win for the BJP’s ally, AGP. Gogoi claimed that similar divisions occurred in constituencies like Saikhowa and Kundil under the Sadiya LAC, where AJP had offered a 50-50 seat-sharing formula to Congress, which was rejected.

“Had the Congress accepted our proposal, the scenario would have been different. In some places, we even agreed to contest only one ZPC, leaving three for Congress. But where we are strong, Congress should have respected that,” he added.

In Dhemaji 1 ZPC and Bordoloni ZPC, Gogoi highlighted how the split in votes between AJP and Congress allowed AGP candidates to secure victories. He also pointed to similar situations in Buhridihing and Puronipukhuri ZPCs under Digboi and Margherita constituencies.

Raising concerns about alleged misuse of government machinery by the ruling BJP, Gogoi stated, "It is indeed a tough time for democratic practice when the ruling party uses all state machineries and threatens voters, saying they will be barred from beneficiary schemes if they don’t vote for BJP."

He concluded by stressing the urgent need for a cohesive and collaborative opposition, warning, “In such a time, the opposition simply cannot remain fragile.”

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