Guwahati: With the 2026 Assam Assembly elections drawing closer, efforts to forge a united opposition front against the BJP-led government appear to be gaining momentum, though significant challenges remain.
Senior opposition leaders Gaurav Gogoi, Lurinjyoti Gogoi and Akhil Gogoi have stepped up consultations on Sunday, signalling a renewed attempt to build a broad-based alliance to challenge Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s dominance in the state. The focus, opposition leaders say, is on corruption by CM’s family, religious intolerance and financial instability of the state.
The latest push for unity gathered attention on Sunday after Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president Gaurav Gogoi held a closed-door meeting with Raijor Dal president and Sivasagar MLA Akhil Gogoi at Kaziranga. Sources familiar with the discussion described the talks as “positive” and “exploratory”, aimed at preventing division of opposition votes in the 2026 polls.
Speaking after the meeting, Gaurav Gogoi stressed the need for coordination among opposition parties. “There is a shared understanding that unless we fight together, it will be difficult to counter the BJP. Differences must be set aside in the larger interest of the people of Assam,” he was quoted as saying.
Akhil Gogoi, an activist-turned-politician known for his grassroots campaigns, echoed the sentiment, saying unity was essential to challenge what he described as the BJP’s political strategy. He said issues such as unemployment, flood management and land rights would be central to any common opposition agenda.
Adding to the speculation around opposition unity, a video clip from a recent opposition meeting has been circulating on social media, showing a conversation between Akhil Gogoi and Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) president Lurinjyoti Gogoi. In the clip, Akhil Gogoi is heard emphasising the importance of coordination, including seat-sharing arrangements, while warning that disunity would only benefit the ruling party. Lurinjyoti Gogoi, who has consistently raised indigenous rights issues, appeared receptive, fuelling talk of AJP’s possible participation in a larger alliance.
While opposition unity has been discussed in the past, political observers say the current efforts are significant due to rising dissatisfaction among sections of the electorate over the BJP government’s policies. Sources indicate that discussions are underway among seven to eight parties, including the Congress, Raijor Dal, AJP, CPI(M) and others, though no formal structure has yet been finalised.
Gaurav Gogoi, who is also a Lok Sabha MP, has been actively touring the state in recent months. His recent Congress yatra from Haflong to Karbi Anglong was seen as part of an attempt to reconnect with voters and consolidate opposition support in hill and tribal areas.
However, the road to a united front is far from smooth. Seat-sharing is emerging as the biggest hurdle. A senior Congress leader, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that while there is broad agreement on the need for unity, nothing concrete has been finalised yet. “It is just a beginning. Opposition unity will materialise only if all parties agree on seat-sharing. Otherwise, there could be friendly contests in some constituencies,” the leader said.
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Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has dismissed the opposition’s efforts as politically opportunistic, pointing to earlier alliances that failed to make an impact. “Such experiments have been rejected by the people repeatedly, whether in local body polls or parliamentary elections,” he said recently.
For now, the emerging coordination among key opposition leaders has injected fresh energy into the anti-BJP camp. Whether this translates into a durable and effective alliance, however, will depend on how successfully parties can negotiate seat-sharing and present a credible, unified alternative before voters in 2026.
