The Assam Congress on Thursday announced to contest all the 14 parliamentary seats in the 2024 Lok Sabha election.
Assam Pradesh Congress Committee president Bhupen Borah also said that tickets will be allocated to those candidates who have shown consistent loyalty to the party.
The announcement, however, has raised a few eyebrows as the grand old party is in alliance with a host of opposition parties in the northeastern state, including the CPI(M), CPI(ML) Liberation, Assam Jatiya Parishad, Raijor Dal, Jatiya Dal Asom, Rashtriya Janata Dal, Nationalist Congress Party, and the Liberal Democratic Party.
It is unclear whether the Congress intends to share seats with its allies in either the Lok Sabha election or the upcoming state assembly polls.
Putting speculation to rest, Borah said his statement should be viewed in the context of his role as the leader of the opposition alliance, encompassing 12 parties, rather than solely as the head of the Assam Congress.
“I have not said it as the Congress president, but as the president of the alliance of opposition parties. I have always said as the opposition alliance leader, we will contest in the parliamentary elections. I am the president of the opposition alliance of 12 parties, and I have always said that we will contest in all the 14 seats,” he clarified.
Reacting to the development, Akhil Gogoi, the leader of Raijor Dal and an MLA from Sibsagar, called for clarity in the matter.
It is important to note that the All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF), the Trinamool Congress, and the Aam Aadmi Party were not invited to a meeting held earlier this year to form the opposition alliance.
Furthermore, Borah said the loyalty of ticket aspirants will be evaluated before declaring them the party candidates.