Assam: United Opposition Forum Holds Strategy Meeting Ahead of Bye-Elections

Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI: The opposition forum in Assam has geared up for the bye-elections scheduled to be held in five Assembly constituencies in the state on November 13 this year. Besides holding its own meeting, the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) held a meeting of the United Opposition Forum and deliberated on the strategy to be followed during the bye-poll.

The APCC had a discussion on the bye-poll in Bongaigaon, Samaguri, Behali, Sidli (ST), and Dholai (SC) LACs under the supervision of

AICC general secretary-cum-Assam in-charge Jitendra Singh at Rajiv Bhawan today. APCC's in-charges of the five LACs-Pradyut Bordoloi for Bongaigaon, Gaurav Gogoi for Behali, Jakir Hussain Sikdar for Sidli, Rakibul Hussain for Samaguri, and Ajit Singh for Dholai-submitted their respective reports and panels of candidates to the AICC in-charge for Assam.

According to APCC, the Congress' election committee will discuss the lists of candidates submitted by the in-charges of the five LACs. However, the party's high command will have the final say.

According to sources, the Congress wants to field candidates in all five LACs. However, the Opposition Forum has not yet reached a consensus on the Behali LAC, where the CPI (ML) wants to field its candidate.

Meanwhile, the United Opposition Forum minus the Congress and the CPI (ML) has also formed a five-member committee comprising Akhil Gogoi, Lurinjyoti Gogoi, Ajit Kumar Bhuyan, Suprakash Talukdar, and Jhon Ingti Kathar. The committee will take a decision on the opposition candidate for the Behali LAC.

Later in the day, the Congress had a meeting with other parties of the forum and discussed issues like candidates in the bye-poll and keeping the opposition unity intact.

Meanwhile, talking to the media later in the day, APCC president Bhupen Borah said, "We've formed a five-member committee minus the Congress and the CPI (ML) to decide the crucial issue of a candidate for the Behali LAC. These five members will have a direct meeting with the AICC tomorrow or day after tomorrow to finalise the candidate for the Behali seat. AICC's Assam in-charge, Jitendra Singh, took stock of the situation and left for New Delhi."

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