The Congress party on Thursday said that it will not be guided by the demands or public remarks of Akhil Gogoi regarding seat sharing and alliance formation in Assam ahead of the elections. Senior party leader Ripun Bora said that the Congress is a national party and will take decisions after its own internal discussions and surveys.
Ripun Bora said that seat sharing cannot be finalised simply because Akhil Gogoi wants it. He said that the decision will be made only on the basis of the report submitted by the agency which has been given responsibility by the Congress high command. According to him, the surveys and assessments are being carried out professionally under the guidance of AICC-appointed teams.
Bora said, “It won’t happen just because Akhil Gogoi says so. Seat sharing will be decided only on the opinion of the agency entrusted by Congress. Any alliance will be formed only after our internal discussion.” He added that the party cannot run on the demands of one person or one organisation. “We have our own style. We are a national party,” he said. 
Speaking on the present political situation, Bora said that Akhil Gogoi may have expressed some views but those are only his personal opinions. He said that in the political arena in Assam there are nearly 15 parties involved. According to him, decisions on alliances have to consider many factors and cannot be rushed by pressure statements. “Congress is a national party. We have to see the broader picture. We will look at all aspects before making the final call,” he said.
He also said that several internal discussions are going on at different levels of the party regarding which alliance will be beneficial and with whom cooperation can be formed. Bora made it clear that seat distribution and alliance arrangements will be taken up based on survey findings and strategic considerations and not public comments made by leaders of other parties.
