BJP Says Assam Opposition Is "Virtually Absent" After No-Contest Rajya Sabha Election

The Assam BJP has declared that the state's politics has become "almost opposition-less," pointing to the recent Rajya Sabha election — in which no opposition party filed a single nomination paper — as proof that the much-discussed anti-BJP alliance exists more in media headlines than in political reality.

State BJP spokesperson Kamal Kumar Medhi made the remarks in a statement, saying the opposition's inaction during the Rajya Sabha election laid bare the true state of unity among parties that have been publicly projecting a joint front.

Also Read: ​NDA Assam Candidates File Rajya Sabha Nominations 2026

Three Rajya Sabha seats from Assam fell vacant recently, and the ruling alliance fielded three candidates — BJP's Jogen Mohan and Terash Gowalla, and UPPL's Pramod Boro — all of whom were returned unopposed after the opposition declined to contest.

Medhi acknowledged that the first two seats were numerically secure for the ruling party, making a contest there unlikely. However, he argued that the third seat had offered the opposition a genuine opportunity to at least demonstrate its unity and strength before the electorate.

"Winning or losing was a normal aspect of politics, but by contesting the third seat, the opposition could at least have demonstrated its claimed unity and strength before the people," Medhi said.

The spokesperson was particularly pointed in his criticism of the Congress party, which has been loudly projecting itself as the leader of the anti-BJP alliance ahead of the Assembly elections.

Medhi said the Congress, despite frequently raising the slogan of a political fight, chose to remain entirely absent from the Rajya Sabha electoral contest — effectively opting for retreat rather than engagement.

Medhi said the Rajya Sabha episode has broader implications for the upcoming Assam Assembly elections, suggesting it has exposed just how difficult it will be for opposition parties to come together in a credible and coordinated manner.

"The failure of opposition parties even to file nomination papers clearly showed that opposition politics in Assam had virtually lost its presence," he said.