Guwahati, Dec 1 (IANS) With the political landscape in Assam gradually heating up ahead of the 2026 Assembly polls, the Congress is intensifying efforts to consolidate the Opposition bloc under a broad-based alliance aimed at mounting a unified challenge to the ruling BJP.

Senior Congress leaders have in recent weeks held a series of strategy sessions with like-minded parties, signalling a renewed attempt to revive the INDIA framework at the state level after months of organisational recalibration.

Party insiders say the leadership is banking on issue-based convergence — rising unemployment, price rise, land rights concerns, and what it describes as “the erosion of democratic institutions” — to bring regional and national Opposition parties on a common platform.

The Congress hopes that its recent outreach to the CPI(M), CPI and smaller ethnic-based parties will help stitch together a broader coalition, though it is still treading cautiously on questions of seat-sharing in minority-dominated belts.

In Assam, where the BJP-led alliance has enjoyed a strong organisational edge, the Opposition’s ability to project unity remains its most critical challenge.

Congress leaders, including Lok Sabha MPs Gaurav Gogoi and Pradyut Bordoloi, have repeatedly stressed that “only a collective, coordinated Opposition” can counter the BJP’s political machinery.

The party leadership believes that coordinated campaigns on issues such as the Uniform Civil Code, polygamy legislation, delimitation, OBC status for communities, and tea garden welfare can create cohesive electoral messaging.

The Congress is also attempting to rebuild its grassroots network, particularly in Upper Assam and the Barak Valley, where it lost significant ground in recent elections.

As part of its alliance talks, the party is keen on ensuring that anti-BJP votes do not split, especially in constituencies with sizable minority, tribal and labour-population clusters.

Opposition leaders privately admit that forging a stable alliance will require compromises from all sides, given competing regional priorities and ideological mismatches.

Yet, with the political calendar tightening and the BJP signalling aggressive preparations for 2026, senior Congress leaders say the coming months will be crucial for finalising contours of what they hope will be a “credible, broad democratic front” in Assam.

–IANS

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