Regional parties AJP, Raijor Dal inch closer to alliance for Assam assembly polls

On Sunday, RD officially sent a letter to AJP seeking an alliance to form a regional front against BJP and other national parties like the Congress

Published on: Jan 18, 2021, 13:54:11 IST

By Utpal Parashar

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Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) and Raijor Dal (RD), two regional parties formed last year, are inching closer to a pre-poll alliance for the assembly elections due April-May this year.

Both the parties are offshoots of the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protests that rocked the state in December 2019 and claimed five lives.

While AJP was launched by student organisations All Assam Students Union and Assam Jatiyatabadi Yuba Chatra Parishad, RD was formed by Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti, a farmers’ body led by activist Akhil Gogoi who is in jail since December 2019 for his role in the anti-CAA protests.

On Sunday, RD officially sent a letter to AJP seeking an alliance to form a regional front against BJP and other national parties like the Congress.

“We have sent an official letter to AJP for an alliance. The letter has been received by AJP president Lurinjyoti Gogoi. We urge them to give the matter topmost priority so that we can meet and discuss issues soon,” RD’s working president Bhasco De Saikia told journalists.

He expressed confidence that RD chief Akhil Gogoi would soon be released from jail to lead the party’s poll campaign. Gogoi is likely to contest from the Sivasagar and Teok assembly seats.

“We have already indicated that there would be an alliance among regional parties, including ours and RD, even if there’s no official letter. We will soon have talks and take the process forward,” AJP president Gogoi told journalists on Sunday.

He stated that AJP would have to alliance with opposition Congress and appealed to all regional parties without any communal agenda to join forces and defeat the ruling BJP.

Meanwhile, BJP is likely to continue its alliance with Asom Gana Parishad and have a new tie-up with United Peoples’ Party Liberal, which is leading the ruling coalition in Bodoland Territorial Council.

On the other hand, the Congress, which lost two of its sitting MLAs to BJP last month, is yet to formalise its alliance with All India United Democratic Front or finalise seat-sharing arrangements with any regional outfit.

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

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