GUWAHATI: Raijor Dal MLA Akhil Gogoi has confirmed that his party will not back either of the two main contenders in the upcoming Nagaon Lok Sabha by-election, choosing instead to stay neutral.
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Addressing the media, Gogoi said his party's steering committee had taken the decision and appealed to voters to reject both the BJP and the AIUDF, calling them communal forces.
The announcement comes against the backdrop of a fractured opposition camp in Nagaon. The Assam Pradesh Congress Committee formally cut ties with Raijor Dal earlier this month, citing repeated violations of alliance norms by the regional party's leadership. The Congress also accused Gogoi of echoing the BJP's narrative ahead of the by-poll.
Despite the bitter split, Gogoi's party ultimately chose not to field its own candidate. Raijor Dal said the move was aimed at preventing what it called the rise of communal forces, with its steering committee deciding the priority was to keep opposition votes from splitting in a contest that could otherwise benefit the BJP. Gogoi added that Raijor Dal would have supported the Congress candidate had the alliance not been broken just before the polls.
The contest has since grown more complicated. AIUDF chief Badruddin Ajmal has entered the race himself, turning it into a triangular battle between the Congress, BJP and AIUDF. The Congress has fielded former Batadrava MLA and APS officer Sibamoni Bora, while the BJP has nominated former IAS officer and former Nagaon Deputy Commissioner Debasish Sharma.