No Consensus At Seat Sharing? Akhil Gogoi Writes To Bhupen Borah

Is the opposition still unable to overcome the wreck of weakened unity? This question resurfaces with the Panchayat Election around and a lack of consensus in candidature when Raijor Dal (RD) President and Sivasagar MLA Akhil Gogoi wrote a letter to APCC president Bhupen Borah.

In the letter written on 16th April, Gogoi said that the candidates filed by Congress in the Zila parishad seats under Sivasagar LAC are anomalous and need rethinking. Gogoi has also urged Bora that the Congress should withdraw some of the candidates they filed in some Zila Parishad seats.

“The RD is willing to file candidates in 4 out of 6 Zila Parishad seats under Sivasagar LAC, while leaving the remaining 2 for Congress. As RD has the sitting MLA, the party has a stronger mass base than the Congress. But your party (Congress) has filed candidates in all 6 Zila Parishads,” the letter reads.

With a special mention to Rongpur Zila Parishad seat, Gogoi wrote in the letter—‘it is surprising that in the Rongpur Zila Parishad seat Congress has filed a minority woman candidate despite the fact that the seat has only 20%  minority vote. This will simply help the BJP-AGP ally to win the seat with the help of division in minority votes.”

Gogoi also said that the grassroots-level workers and leaders of Congress are willing to ally with RD in this manner, but this has not materialised due to the intervention of a few leaders. “That’s why I am writing this letter to you with an immediate intervention”—Gogoi urged Bhupen Borah in the letter.

The letter has also sought intervention from the leader of opposition in the Assam assembly, Debabrata Saikia and Jorhat MP Gaurav Gogoi. 

Gogoi also said that the matter was earlier discussed with APCC media chairperson Bedabrat Bora, with a positive response from him. but nothing solid has happened even after this, Gogoi alleges.

“We hope that the matter will be resolved by 17th April and we can withdraw the candidates”—the letter ends.