Assam polls 2026: Raijor Dal names Margherita candidate; AJP raises voter roll row

Margherita/Jorhat, Jan 5: Even as the Congress and the BJP sharpen their early moves for the 2026 Assam Assembly elections, smaller parties in the united Opposition front are also stepping up ground mobilisation in Upper Assam.

On Monday, Raijor Dal president and Sivasagar MLA Akhil Gogoi effectively fired the party’s opening salvo in Margherita by projecting its candidate for the constituency.

Addressing a workers’ meet at the India Club in Margherita, Gogoi announced that Rahul Chetri would contest the 2026 polls on a Raijor Dal ticket.

Gogoi framed the contest as a straight fight between the incumbent BJP MLA Bhaskar Sharma and Raijor Dal.

He accused Sharma of failing to represent the constituency over the past decade and said his campaign would focus on students, youth, teachers, workers and the unemployed. “Margherita needs real development,” Gogoi said.

On questions surrounding Congress MP and former Margherita MLA Pradyut Bordoloi’s son, Pratik Bordoloi, who is reportedly seeking a Congress ticket from the seat, Gogoi said the matter would be taken up through alliance discussions.

Meanwhile, the Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) raised fresh concerns over electoral roll revisions, adding another layer to the Opposition’s campaign narrative.

Speaking to the press in Jorhat, AJP president Lurinjyoti Gogoi alleged that the ongoing Special Revision of electoral rolls had led to the inclusion of “unknown names” in several areas.

He said Opposition parties had earlier flagged similar issues and claimed these concerns were now surfacing on the ground.

File image of AJP president Lurinjyoti Gogoi

Referring to developments following elections and revisions in Bihar, Lurinjyoti Gogoi said the timing of the revision in Assam had raised suspicions, especially after earlier indications that such an exercise would not be conducted in the state.

“The Election Commission must take this seriously. Outsiders should not be included, and genuine local names must not be deleted,” he said, calling for heightened vigilance by Booth Level Officers and Opposition parties.

On the status of the Opposition alliance, Lurinjyoti Gogoi said both formal and informal talks were underway and that greater clarity would emerge around Magh Bihu.

“Candidate selection must come through discussion. Ultimately, it is the people’s will that matters,” he said.

With Raijor Dal moving to declare candidates and AJP sharpening its critique on electoral processes, the united Opposition appears keen to seize early momentum.