Congress–Raijor Dal alliance talks collapse ahead of 2026 Assam polls

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: The much-discussed alliance talks between the Congress and Raijor Dal for the upcoming 2026 Assam Legislative Assembly Election have ended without a resolution.

On Friday, steering committee of Raijor Dal held its final meeting on the alliance issue and formally decided to end the talks with Congress.

In a statement, Raijor Dal said that despite months of discussions, the Congress leadership did not take a final decision in favour of forming an electoral alliance with the party. Even during the Congress Central Election Committee (CEC) meeting and a special meeting on alliances held on March 13, no decision was taken regarding a tie-up between the two parties. The statement said a prominent intellectual and social worker who had been acting as a mediator between the two sides informed Raijor Dal that Congress had rejected the specific alliance proposal submitted by the party.

The party has alleged that earlier, negotiations had stalled because Congress was unwilling to directly concede the Dhing Assembly constituency to Raijor Dal. During a high-level meeting in New Delhi involving Congress General Secretary Jitendra Singh, Assam Pradesh Congress Committee president Gaurav Gogoi and Leader of the Opposition in the Assam Assembly DebabrataSaikia, the issue resurfaced. The Raijor Dal claimed that Congress also refused to leave the Ranganadi and Dalgaon Assembly constituencies for the party.

The mediator reportedly told Congress leaders that such an "unusual proposal" could not reasonably be placed before Raijor Dal. Another mediator, a senior advocate from Assam who participated virtually in the Delhi meeting, also expressed surprise at Congress's position and said the proposal was unacceptable.

Raijor Dal further alleged that despite repeated rounds of discussions, Congress was unwilling to allocate even 15 Assembly seats to the party, which it claimed reflected a "betrayal" of the people's interest in a broader opposition alliance.

According to Raijor Dal, Congress had earlier agreed to directly allot only four constituencies, suggested five others of its own choice for the party, and proposed friendly contests in four seats. However, in the latest discussions, Congress reportedly agreed to directly concede only three seats.

The party accused Congress of repeatedly changing its stance and prolonging the negotiations, which it said wasted crucial time ahead of the elections and caused organisational damage to Raijor Dal.

Also Read: Raijor Dal Alleges Congress Broke Alliance Talks Four Times, Demands Urgent Resumption