Jailed chief of Assam’s Raijor Dal, Akhil Gogoi, to contest from Sibasagar

The party, which has a pre-poll tie-up with the Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP), another new party, announced its first list of 18 candidates for the first two phases of polling, on Saturday.

Published on: Mar 6, 2021, 19:02:38 IST

By Utpal Parashar | Edited by Sohini Sarkar

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Activist and president of the newly formed Raijor Dal, Akhil Gogoi, who is under arrest, will contest the coming assembly polls in Assam from the Sibasagar seat.

Akhil Gogoi has been under arrest since December 2019 for his role in the violent anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protests in Assam that claimed five lives. At present, he is admitted at the Guwahati Medical College Hospital. (PTI PHOTO).

The party, which has a pre-poll tie-up with the Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP), another new party, announced its first list of 18 candidates for the first two phases of polling, on Saturday.

Gogoi has been under arrest since December 2019 for his role in the violent anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protests in Assam that claimed five lives. At present, he is admitted at the Guwahati Medical College Hospital.

Raijor Dal was formed last year by Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS), a farmers’ rights body which Gogoi was heading. The organization had played a key role in the anti-CAA protests.

The Assam Jatiya Parishad was also formed last year by the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) and Assam Jatiyatabadi Yuva Chatra Parishad (AJYCP), two prominent student bodies which had spearheaded the anti-CAA protests.

The party announced its first list of 18 candidates on Friday. Party president Lurinjyoti Gogoi will contest from Duliajan while general secretary Jagadish Bhuyan will contest from Sadiya---both seats are in upper Assam.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Utpal Parashar
A seasoned senior journalist, I have nearly three decades of experience across print, digital, and online platforms, covering political transitions, insurgencies, environmental issues, and development stories in India and Nepal. I am skilled in breaking news, leading editorial teams and launch of newspaper editions. I am adept at leveraging digital trends and social media to expand global reach, with a strong ethical foundation and a reputation for impactful journalism. An alumnus of Asian College of Journalism, I joined Hindustan Times in New Delhi as a trainee reporter in May 1997. Over the years, I have been posted in Dehradun, Kathmandu (Nepal) and Guwahati. Currently, as Senior Assistant Editor at Hindustan Times, I lead a team reporting on India’s northeastern states. My work involves in-depth analysis, and engaging multimedia storytelling across formats, including text, photo, video, and interactive content. I am skilled in producing timely, shareable content, leveraging digital platforms and social media to engage global audiences. Throughout my career with the Hindustan Times, I have led diverse editorial teams, designed capacity-building activities, and supported reporters in developing strong story ideas, ethical reporting practices, digital skills, and fact-checking techniques. As Senior Assistant Editor for Northeast India, I have been responsible for guiding correspondents through complex political, humanitarian, and community-level stories using multimedia formats. Earlier, as Foreign Correspondent in Nepal, I produced extensive reporting during Nepal’s democratic transition and the 2015 earthquake and its aftermath.Read More

Assam Assembly Election 2021

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