Senior Congress leaders’ sudden visit to Ranchi on Thursday, March 12, has fuelled speculation that the Congress may seek to bring the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) into a united opposition front in Assam ahead of the 2026 Assembly polls. Jitendra Singh, Congress general secretary, and Gaurav Gogoi, president of the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC), met Jharkhand Chief Minister and JMM chief Hemant Soren at his official residence, sources said.
On the same day, a separate delegation from the Asom Jatiya Parishad (AJP), led by president Lurinjyoti Gogoi, also held talks with Soren. The meetings come days after the Congress formally distanced itself from Akhil Gogoi’s Raijor Dal, a split that has left a gap in the opposition space in Assam and sharpened interest in new alliances.
Party insiders said the Congress postponed a crucial APCC election committee meeting in Guwahati because of the Ranchi trip. While leaders remained tight-lipped about outcomes, insiders indicated that Congress figures urged Soren to consider joining a united opposition alliance in Assam and to campaign for the coalition during the elections. “An understanding with the JMM is very much possible,” a senior Congress leader said on condition of anonymity, noting the parties’ existing alliance in Jharkhand and past differences in Bihar.
The AJP delegation focused on issues affecting tribal and indigenous communities across Assam and Jharkhand, according to sources familiar with the discussions. Talks reportedly centered on protection of tribal rights, land issues and cultural identity, and AJP leaders praised Soren’s advocacy for Adivasi rights under the JMM slogan “Abua Dishum, Abua Raj” — “Our Land, Our Rule.”
The Ranchi outreach follows Soren’s recent campaign activity in Assam: on March 10 he addressed a large rally at the Mijikajan Tea Estate in Biswanath district, organised jointly by the JMM and the Jai Bharat Party (JBP). At that rally, JBP president Teharu Gour announced his party would contest roughly 40 seats in alliance with the JMM. Soren used the platform to highlight concerns of tea garden workers and Adivasi communities, pressing for stronger tribal rights, land reforms and greater political representation.
Political observers say the JMM is trying to build support among tea-tribe and Adivasi communities, which together account for nearly 20 percent of Assam’s population and exert significant influence in about 35–40 Assembly constituencies, especially in Upper Assam districts such as Jorhat, Dibrugarh, Tinsukia and Sonitpur. In many of these tea-belt seats, the voting patterns of tea garden workers and Adivasi voters can decide close contests.
Analysts note that while the JMM has declared cooperation with the JBP, its long-term relationship with the Congress remains uncertain, not least because some Congress leaders believe the JBP has previously acted against their interests. Still, the Ranchi meetings signal that opposition parties are exploring fresh alignments as the 2026 elections approach, and a formal JMM entry into an Assam opposition bloc could reshape electoral dynamics in tribal and tea-garden belts where identity and livelihood issues are tightly linked to political choices.
Original Source: https://nenow.in/north-east-news/assam/gaurav-gogoi-jitendra-singh-lurinjyoti-gogoi-rush-to-ranchi-is-opposition-turning-to-jmm-after-raijor-dal-rift.html
Category: Assam,Northeast News,Top News
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Publish Date: 2026-03-12 22:43:00
