Congress lost bypolls due to arrogance: Akhil Gogoi

Guwahati, Nov 26 The opposition leader in Assam and Sivasagar MLA Akhil Gogoi on Monday targeted the Congress party claiming that it lost in the by-election due to arrogance.

Gogoi told reporters: “The poor show of Congress in the recently concluded bypolls is due to arrogance. The Congress party ignored the opposition unity and went into the by-election alone, breaking the alliance with other parties. It paid back in the election and Congress suffered a humiliating defeat in the polls.”

The legislator also asserted that the BJP can be ousted from power only when all opposition parties fight the election together.

The opposition unity in Assam faced a jolt following the decision of the Congress party to field a candidate in the Behali assembly segment in the recently concluded by-election.

Congress has given to the BJP turncoat Jayanta Borah in Behali although the seat was earlier decided to be given to CPI-ML, a constituent of the United Opposition Forum in the state which was led by the Congress party itself.

This caused significant tension in the opposition camp and the state Congress chief Bhupen Borah resigned from his post in the United Opposition forum.

Congress fielded a candidate on the Behali seat on the insistence of Lok Sabha MP Gaurav Gogoi who spearheaded the poll campaign there.

The United Opposition Forum also warned that they can take on the BJP without Congress and CPI-ML has already given a candidate in Behali to pose a challenge to the Congress along with the ruling party.

BJP swept the by-election in Assam by winning all five Assembly constituencies — Dholai, Behali, Samaguri, Bongaigaon, and Sidli went through bypolls on November 13 as the legislators in these seats were elected to the Lok Sabha in the general elections this year.

Congress fought by-elections in five seats but drew a blank.

Source: IANS