Guwahati, Oct 22: The Bihali constituency has become a contentious issue between the Congress and the Congress-led Assam Sanmilita Morcha (ASOM) as they prepare for the upcoming by-election on November 13.
While the Congress has already announced candidates for four other constituencies—Sidli, Bongaigaon, Dholai, and Samaguri—they have expressed a desire to leave the Bihali seat for a consensus candidate from ASOM.
Assam Congress chief Bhupen Borah mentioned that CPI-ML leader Vibek Das could be the potential consensus candidate.
However, this decision has sparked dissent among grassroots Congress workers, who argue that Vivek Das lacks winning potential. They fear that allowing ASOM to field a candidate could inadvertently benefit the BJP in the by-election.
In response to these concerns, all constituent parties of the ASOM convened an emergency meeting on Tuesday at a city hotel, where they decided to give the Congress until 10 a.m. on Wednesday to reconsider their position regarding the Bihali seat.
Senior ASOM leader and Sivasagar MLA Akhil Gogoi affirmed the coalition’s commitment, stating, “We will continue our alliance till the 2026 elections. In this by-election, the Congress has fielded candidates in four seats, while one consensus candidate will be fielded from Bihali.”
Rajya Sabha MP Ajit Kumar Bhuyan echoed this sentiment, expressing a desire to field a candidate from Bihali. He noted that the need for an emergency meeting arose due to the situation created by media reports, and they planned to discuss the issue and resolve it by the following day.
A Congress leader highlighted the dilemma facing the party, stating, “We are at a crossroads. If we leave the Bihali seat to ASOM, we will be defeated. And if we don’t leave it, our alliance will not continue.”
In a bid to address these concerns, Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi was reported to be meeting with Vivek Das in Tezpur on Tuesday night to discuss preparations for the by-election in the constituency. This ongoing situation underscores the complexities of coalition politics in Assam as the parties navigate their alliances ahead of the polls.
