Less than a month before Assam votes on April 9, a senior Congress leader has published a blistering column accusing the party’s state and national managers of turning candidate selection into a “money game”, sidelining long-serving workers and handing tickets to favourites and newcomers with close ties to the leadership. The leader says these decisions have prompted resignations, defections and deep demoralisation among grassroots workers at a critical electoral moment.
The column singles out Assam PCC president Gaurav Gogoi and AICC in-charge Jitendra Singh, alleging they favoured candidates based on proximity or payments rather than local organisational strength. The writer names specific constituencies to illustrate the point: in Tinsukia, loyalist Dandi Sonowal — a former Sonowal Autonomous Council member who stayed with Congress after 2016 defections — was denied a ticket in favour of Youth Congress vice-president Devid Phukan, whom local workers reportedly do not see as connected to booth-level organisers. In New Guwahati, former Guwahati mayor Kushal Kumar Sarmah was overlooked for Santanu Borah, described as close to the state president.
The columnist says the pattern repeats across the list: surveys showing strong local candidates are ignored while “new faces” and “youth leaders” are preferred, a choice the writer calls a convenient cover for rewarding the inner circle. Those passed over, the piece notes, are leaving the party. The leader reports that Dandi Sonowal has resigned and that former Sootea MLA Praneswar Basumatary, who helped elevate Gaurav Gogoi earlier, has also quit after a candidate allegedly recommended by BJP MLA Padma Hazarika was fielded.
Beyond ticketing, the column criticises Congress’s failure to build a united opposition front. It argues that Raijor Dal and the Asom Jatiya Parishad should have been accommodated to blunt the BJP’s edge in a polarised contest, and blames Rakibul Hussain and Gaurav Gogoi for letting personal equations override electoral strategy. The writer also levels unproven allegations about paid favouritism in Ronganodi and suggests regional calculations may be helping certain opponents, including a claim that Himanta is engineering gains for Badruddin Ajmal and the AIUDF in some seats.
With the party’s second candidate list finalised, the columnist warns that repeated resignations and leaked grievances are feeding the narrative that “Congress is a sinking ship.” The appeal is urgent: unless the high command acts immediately, the leader warns, Congress will enter the April 9 poll fractured and fighting itself rather than the BJP.
The piece closes by stressing that these are the personal views of a Congress leader and do not represent the position of the India Today Group.
Original Source: https://www.indiatodayne.in/opinion/story/gaurav-and-rakibul-have-given-voters-every-reason-not-to-elect-congress-on-april-9-1360248-2026-03-15?utm_source=rssfeed
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Publish Date: 2026-03-15 23:22:00
