Negotiations with Raijor Dal remained difficult. The regional party initially sought 27 constituencies, reduced its demand to 15 and eventually accepted an arrangement covering 13 seats. The talks came close to breaking down over constituencies such as Dhing, where Raijor Dal claimed a strong organisational presence.
Despite the differences, Congress revived the negotiations and signed a memorandum of understanding with Raijor Dal in Jorhat on 19 March. Under the agreement, Congress left 11 constituencies exclusively for the regional party and agreed to friendly contests in Goalpara East and Gauripur.
The constituencies ceded to Raijor Dal included Sivasagar, Dhing, Dalgaon, Sissiborgaon, Digboi, Bokakhat, Manas, Tezpur, Kaliabor, Margherita and Mariani. Akhil Gogoi subsequently declared that his party would work to make Gaurav Gogoi the next chief minister.
The electoral arrangement, however, failed to dislodge the BJP, which won 82 seats in the 126-member Assembly. Congress secured 19 seats, while Raijor Dal won two. Akhil Gogoi retained Sivasagar by 17,272 votes, and Mehboob Muktar won Dhing by 71,494 votes.
Congress had contested approximately 100 constituencies, while Raijor Dal fielded candidates in 13.
Relations deteriorated soon after the results, with Akhil Gogoi blaming Congress for what he described as a disorganised and half-hearted campaign. He also accused the party of marginalising Raijor Dal during the election.
The confrontation intensified when Akhil Gogoi demanded Gaurav Gogoi’s resignation as state Congress president, holding him responsible for the opposition’s defeat.
By ending the alliance, Congress has signalled that cooperation among opposition parties cannot continue without mutual respect and adherence to collective discipline.
Its statement suggests that the party views Raijor Dal’s repeated public attacks as incompatible with the responsibilities of an electoral partner, particularly after Congress accommodated the regional outfit during contentious seat-sharing negotiations.
With PTI inputs
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