Assam Congress President Bhupen Kumar Borah announced on Tuesday that the party will participate in all five Assembly seats where by-elections are scheduled to be held. The decision was finalized during a meeting chaired by AICC General Secretary Jitendra Singh with district-level leaders in Assam.
Borah emphasized the party's firm stance against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), despite the state government's recent directive to its Border Police wing regarding non-Muslim illegal immigrants entering the state before 2015. He reiterated Congress's commitment to repeal the CAA if the party comes to power, referencing a pledge by Rahul Gandhi.
"The @INCAssam will contest all 5 seats where by-elections would be held. We will constitute 5 teams of senior leaders to reach out to the grassroots," Borah posted on social media platform X, awaiting the announcement of bypoll dates by the Election Commission.
The Assembly seats of Samaguri, Behali, Dholai, Sidli, and Bongaigaon became vacant after incumbents were elected to the Lok Sabha, with Samaguri being the only seat previously held by Congress.
In addition to electoral strategies, the meeting also focused on activating the party's Disciplinary Action Committee (DAC) to expedite pending disciplinary cases. Borah highlighted the need to strengthen the party's organizational structure through upcoming meetings with MPs, MLAs, and other leaders.
Meanwhile, the state government's directive to its Border Police wing to advise non-Muslim illegal immigrants pre-2015 to apply for citizenship under the CAA has sparked controversy. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma defended the directive, labeling it a "statutory order" in accordance with existing laws.
The upcoming by-elections in Assam are poised to be a crucial battleground as political parties gear up to vie for these vacant seats, shaping the state's political landscape in the coming months.
