HT Correspondent
SIVASAGAR, July 16: Over 200 youths from diverse backgrounds formally joined the Raijor Dal at a party induction event held in Rudrasagar on Tuesday in the presence of party president and Sivasagar MLA Akhil Gogoi.
Speaking to the media, Gogoi said the people of Sivasagar constituency had elected him in 2021 despite facing opposition from both the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress, and expressed confidence that voters would once again support him in the 2026 Assembly elections.
He alleged that the BJP, which had come to power in Assam riding on the support of the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), now plans to make the regional ally politically irrelevant.
Gogoi claimed that AGP MLAs Bhaben Bharali (Dergaon), Punakan Baruah (Chabua), and Pradip Hazarika (Amguri) would not be given tickets in the next elections as the BJP aims to weaken AGP, similar to what it is attempting with the Bodoland People’s Front (BPF) and the United People’s Party Liberal (UPPL) in the Bodoland region.
He further stated that the BJP would offer AGP seats only in constituencies where it lacks a significant voter base.
On the issue of opposition unity, Gogoi said the Congress was yet to commit to a joint alliance of anti-BJP parties.
However, he expressed hope that senior Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi would reconsider his position as the 2026 elections approach.
Gogoi added that if the AGP were to exit the BJP-led alliance, the opposition front would be further strengthened, posing a formidable challenge to the ruling coalition in the state.