Dibrugarh, March 19: Seat-sharing talks between the Congress and Raijor Dal failed to make headway on Thursday, after a five-hour closed-door meeting between Assam Congress president Gaurav Gogoi and Raijor Dal chief Akhil Gogoi ended without agreement, deepening uncertainty over a pre-poll alliance ahead of the Assembly elections.
The two leaders met at a hotel in Dibrugarh from 11 am, but the prolonged discussions yielded little progress. Speaking to reporters afterwards, Akhil Gogoi struck a disappointed note.
“Today’s meeting remained inconclusive. The Congress had floated news through media houses that they would offer 13 seats to Raijor Dal. But we were surprised to learn during the meeting that even these 13 seats have not been approved by the Congress high command in Delhi. The list was prepared by Gaurav Gogoi himself,” he said.
The Sivasagar MLA also flagged disagreements over specific constituencies. “Even among those 13 seats, they are now unwilling to give us the Gauripur seat. They cited some issue and instead offered two alternatives—Mankachar and Algapur-Kaltichera,” he added.
Raijor Dal had pushed for 15 seats, including Naoboicha and Dhemaji, a demand the Congress did not accept. Akhil Gogoi indicated that the absence of clearance from the party’s central leadership remains a key sticking point. “Gaurav said he would have to speak to Rahul Gandhi. So the meeting remained inconclusive,” he said.
With the nomination deadline approaching, he underscored the urgency. “We don’t have many days left. We don’t have time,” he said.
The situation is further complicated by the fact that both parties have already announced candidates in several constituencies, which could make any last-minute deal difficult to implement.
Political observers say that if the two sides fail to reach an agreement, a split in opposition votes could benefit the ruling BJP in several key seats.
