HT Correspondent
MARGHERITA, Dec 29: The Indian National Congress (INC) has stepped up preparations for the 2026 Assam Assembly elections, with party leaders indicating a renewed focus on blending experience with younger leadership as part of its candidate selection strategy.
Sources in the Margherita Block Congress Committee said Prateek Bordoloi, co-chairman of the social media department of the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC), is emerging as a potential candidate for the 83rd Margherita Legislative Assembly Constituency.
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Bordoloi, an alumnus of Delhi University and the University of Exeter, is the son of former Margherita MLA and cabinet minister and sitting Nagaon Lok Sabha MP Pradyut Bordoloi.
Party sources said Bordoloi’s growing grassroots engagement, organisational work and outreach among party workers and local communities have strengthened his profile as part of the Congress’s effort to reconnect with younger voters and revitalise its base ahead of the crucial elections.
The development comes amid the Congress’s statewide outreach programme, “Raijor Podulit, Raijor Congress”, aimed at preparing a people’s manifesto based on public feedback.
Local leaders said Bordoloi’s recent organisational role and sustained interaction with party cadres and senior leaders in Margherita have helped build confidence in the party at the grassroots.
Margherita Block Congress Committee vice-president Toufik Khan claimed that over 32,000 active Congress members are working across the constituency and expressed confidence that Bordoloi could be a strong contender in the 2026 polls.
Khan also criticised the sitting BJP MLA Bhaskar Sharma, alleging failures on issues such as unemployment, price rise, women’s safety, illegal coal syndicates, corruption in the Jal Jeevan Mission, deforestation and the outmigration of educated youth.
He said these issues would dominate the election discourse in the constituency.
“The Congress believes in a balanced approach where fresh talent is given an opportunity alongside experienced leadership. Leaders like Prateek Bordoloi represent the youthful energy the party wants to harness to challenge the ruling BJP,” Khan said.
With Assembly elections due in early 2026, the INC, under APCC president Gaurav Gogoi, is expected to contest around 100 of the 126 seats, with the remaining seats likely to be allocated to allies including regional and Left parties.
As candidate selection gathers pace in the coming months, political observers are closely watching how the Congress balances veteran leaders with emerging faces as it seeks to mount a credible challenge to the BJP-led government in Assam.
