Guwahati: Amid complications in seat-sharing talks with Raijor Dal, Congress’s plan to go into the upcoming assembly polls in an opposition alliance hit further hurdles as party workers across multiple constituencies on Thursday protested against the move to relinquish Sarupathar and Bhawanipur-Sorbhog seats to Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) and CPM, respectively.In Golaghat, Assam Congress president Gaurav Gogoi was gheraoed on Thursday by party workers, who refused to vacate the Sarupathar seat in upper Assam to AJP, arguing that the regional party had little organisational presence there.“We are Congress workers and won’t relinquish the Sarupathar seat to AJP at any cost. Even if you decide to relinquish the seat to AJP, it has to be cancelled,” a Congress worker told Gaurav at the Golaghat circuit house. They also warned that thousands of Congress workers will shave their heads in protest, if the seat was allotted to AJP.Assam PCC working president Roselina Tirkey was seeking the ticket from Sarupathar. Protesters said Gaurav told them that discussion over Sarupathar was still on and that no final call had been made. “In the last four years, we worked hard in Sarupathar and have brought the party to a winning position,” one of the protesters said.Congress workers are also resisting any proposal to cede the newly-created Binnakandi and Khowang seats to the allies. In the minority-dominated Dalgaon constituency, workers already demonstrated outside Gaurav’s Ajanta Path residence over reports that the seat could be given to Raijor Dal.Separately, Raijor Dal ticket hopeful Sherman Ali Ahmed said Congress’s position does not concern him. “Raijor Dal President will give me ticket from Mandia. I am least bothered what Gaurav Gogoi says,” said Ahmed.Meanwhile, the second phase of the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee’s (APCC) ‘Xomoy Poribortonor’ Yatra began on Thursday. With Gaurav leading, the first day of this phase covered multiple locations across Golaghat district, starting from the town and moving through Changkhat, Dayang, Usha-Garanga, Bhelouguri, Merapani and other areas. At each stop, Gaurav met residents, heard their complaints and spoke at public meetings.In his address, Gaurav said, “Participating in the yatra in Golaghat district reminds me of earlier times. You witnessed 15 years of Congress governance. In 2016, hoping for change, the people of Assam gave BJP an opportunity to form the govt. In 2021, too, they gave BJP another chance. People believed that with BJP in power, both at the Centre and in state, a ‘double-engine’ govt would resolve their problems. But the reality was the opposite. The issues of local residents remain unresolved.”
