Guwahati, Oct 23: The Congress-led Asom Sonmilito Morcha (ASOM), a coalition of 18 opposition political parties, has collapsed due to internal disagreements over the selection of a candidate for the Behali constituency in the upcoming by-election for five constituencies in Assam.
This rift culminated in the resignation of ASOM chairman Bhupen Kumar Borah on Tuesday night. The alliance, formed in July 2023, was intended to unite opposition parties under a common platform to challenge the BJP in Assam. However, the disagreement over the Behali by-election candidate has now jeopardized the coalition’s future, raising doubts about its ability to present a united front in upcoming elections, including the 2026 assembly polls.
The ASOM was modelled after the national INDIA bloc and aimed to remain united through the 2026 assembly elections. All 18 parties, including Congress, initially agreed to prioritize collective goals over individual interests to defeat the BJP.
The United Opposition Forum Assam (UOFA), rechristened as the Asom Sonmilito Morcha (ASOM) on October 5, had achieved some success in the last Lok Sabha elections by winning three seats in Assam.
In the upcoming by-elections to five constituencies—Sidli, Bongaigaon, Samaguri, Dholai, and Behali—the Congress had agreed to field candidates in four constituencies, leaving Behali to the ASOM candidate. A five-member committee formed by the All India Congress Committee (AICC) recommended CPI(ML) leader Vibek Das as the consensus candidate for Behali. However, the AICC rejected this decision and chose to field its own candidate for the constituency.
This move caused friction within the ASOM alliance, leading to an emergency meeting on October 22. At that meeting, ASOM parties demanded clarification from the Assam Pradesh Congress by 10 a.m. on October 23. The failure to resolve this issue prompted Bhupen Kumar Borah to resign, marking the collapse of the opposition alliance.
In his resignation letter to ASOM general secretary Lurinjyoti Gogoi, Borah expressed frustration with the lack of action by the AICC on a five-member committee’s recommendations. This committee had proposed the nomination of a CPI(ML) candidate for the election, but the AICC had not yet accepted the proposal, leading to mounting pressure on Borah from within ASOM to resolve the issue.
“You are aware that a meeting of ASOM was held on October 18 in the presence of AICC general secretary, in which a proposal was put forward to constitute a five-member committee and the AICC general secretary assured that the recommendation of the committee will be accepted by the AICC regarding the nomination of Bihali by-election where CPI(ML) had demanded the candidature. However, till now the recommendation of the committee has not been accepted by the AICC general secretary.”
“Today the opposition unity called a meeting and asked APCC to clarify tomorrow 10 am regarding Behali LAC. I have been trying tio persuade the five-member committee to reconsider the recommendation, but they have refused to do so and are demanding immediate confirmation from AICC,” Borah said.
Borah added, “Please note that the opposition unity was stressed upon by Rahul Gandhi during its Bharat Jodo Nyay Jatra in Assam and at the meeting of the North East Congress Coordination Committee (NECCC) in Meghalaya.”
However, ASOM general secretary and Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) president Lurinjyoti Gogoi is still hopeful for the future of opposition unity.
“There is no alternative but for opposition parties to remain united in their effort to challenge the BJP. The upcoming by-election serves as a crucial foundation for the larger goal of contesting the 2026 elections, marking the beginning of the opposition’s journey,” Gogoi said.
Gogoi urged the alliance partners not to fall into the ruling party’s “trap” and reiterated that the alliance’s work is in the best interest of the people of Assam.
