Guwahati: After the Congress party released its list of candidates for 42 Assembly constituencies on Tuesday, the Raijor Dal on Wednesday announced its candidates for 11 Assembly constituencies. However, the party has not yet declared a candidate for the Sivasagar constituency, which is represented by Raijor Dal president Akhil Gogoi (Raijor Dal Candidate List 2026).
According to the list announced by Raijor Dal, Abdur Rashid Mandal will contest from East Goalpara, Ramen Borthakur from Jalukbari, Anjan Talukdar from Manas, Azizur Rahman from Dalgaon, Mehbub Mukhtar from Dhing, Alok Nath from Tezpur, Dulal Baruah from Sissiborgaon, Rahul Chettri from Margherita, Lakhyajyoti Gogoi from Digboi, Dr. Gyanshree Bora from Mariani, and Ratan Dao from Bokakhat.
Indication of No Opposition Alliance
Although Raijor Dal president Akhil Gogoi and Assam Pradesh Congress Committee president Gaurav Gogoi have not made any official comments regarding an opposition alliance, the candidate list released by Raijor Dal suggests that the opposition alliance may not materialize.
This is because Raijor Dal has fielded candidates in several constituencies where Congress has already announced candidates, directly challenging the party. One notable example is Margherita constituency. Over the past few weeks, there had been discussions between Congress and Raijor Dal regarding the allocation of this seat. On Tuesday, Congress declared Pratik Bordoloi, son of MP Pradyut Bordoloi, as its candidate. However, in the list released on Wednesday, Raijor Dal named Rahul Chettri as its candidate from the same constituency.
It remains unclear whether there will be a friendly contest in the constituency, but Rahul Chettri’s candidature is expected to pose a challenge for Congress. Having emerged from the Satra Mukti Sangram Samiti, Rahul Chettri has, over time, established himself as a popular leader.
Experience vs Merit in Mariani
In the Mariani Assembly constituency, Raijor Dal’s Dr. Gyanshree Bora will contest against BJP candidate Rupjyoti Kurmi. Rupjyoti Kurmi has won the seat five times. Earlier, his mother Rupam Kurmi had also represented the constituency. Rupjyoti Kurmi has been representing the constituency since 2006, giving him considerable experience and organizational strength.
On the other hand, Dr. Gyanshree Bora previously served as an Assistant Professor at Goalpara College. She resigned from her academic position to pursue a career in politics. She holds a doctoral degree in Chemistry and has worked as a guest teacher at Dibrugarh Polytechnic, Kendriya Vidyalaya Dibrugarh, and Government Higher Secondary School Dibrugarh.
After serving as a lecturer for two and a half years and then resigning, Dr. Bora drew significant attention. Many observers believe that politics needs educated and capable young individuals like her to bring positive change. Therefore, the contest in Mariani is likely to be seen as a battle between experience and a talented new face, making the electoral fight in the constituency particularly interesting.
Raijor Dal Fields MLA Abdur Rashid Mandal in East Goalpara
Raijor Dal has named MLA Abdur Rashid Mandal as its candidate from the East Goalpara constituency. Mandal had earlier been elected MLA from West Goalpara as a Congress candidate in both the 2016 and 2021 Assembly elections. Later, due to internal party conflicts, he joined Raijor Dal. Therefore, he is expected to pose a strong challenge in the East Goalpara constituency.
Meanwhile, former Congress leader and Raijor Dal executive president Ramen Chandra Borthakur has been declared the party’s candidate from the Jalukbari constituency. Earlier, he had intended to contest from the Dispur constituency, but his name was eventually announced for Jalukbari.
Congress Fires First Shot: 42-Name Candidate List Drops for Assam 2026