The Assam Pradesh Congress Committee convened a review meeting on Sunday at Rajiv Bhawan in Guwahati to strategize for the upcoming Nagaon Lok Sabha by-election. This by-election was necessitated by the resignation of former Congress MP Pradyut Bordoloi, who joined the Bharatiya Janata Party ahead of the recently concluded assembly polls.
Key Contenders for Nagaon By-Election
According to party sources, former Congress MLA Sibamoni Bora, along with two other Congressmen from central Assam—Utpal Bania and Birinchi Bora—are among the leading contenders for the Nagaon bypolls. Sibamoni was initially set to contest from the Muslim-majority Dhing seat, but Congress had to relinquish that seat to Akhil Gogoi’s Raijor Dal under a seat-sharing agreement.
Party's Strategy and Public Outreach
Assam Congress president Gaurav Gogoi stated that the party is reaching out to the public with new planning and aims to build a “new Congress” in line with public expectations. He explained that the meeting at the party’s state headquarters was held to review the factors behind the party’s setback in the assembly elections and to discuss how it will work firmly for the public in the upcoming by-elections after completing this assessment.
Debabrata Saikia Declines Candidacy
Former leader of opposition Debabrata Saikia, whose name had been speculated as a contender for the Nagaon by-election, clarified that he is not interested in contesting. “A local candidate will be better. I do not want to make a parachute landing, as I want to do politics from my own area,” Saikia added.
The meeting underscores the Congress party's efforts to regroup and present a strong front in the Nagaon by-election, following its recent electoral challenges in Assam.
