With the 2026 Assam Assembly elections drawing closer, Northeast Scoop has exclusively learnt that Raijor Dal president and Sivasagar MLA Akhil Gogoi has formally placed a hard condition before the Congress—a minimum of 20 seats—for remaining part of any opposition alliance.
According to highly placed sources, Raijor Dal has submitted a detailed list of 24 constituencies, demanding Congress withdrawal or major seat adjustments. The constituencies are:
Naoboicha, Dhing, Sivasagar, Demow, Margherita, Dalgaon, Sissirbargaon, Jaleswar, Chenga, Dispur, Gauripur, Algapur–Katichara, Barshala, Tezpur, Mandiya, Goalpara East, Mariani, Mahmara, Bahrampur, Dhemaji, Digboi, Bokakhat, Barkhola and Sarupathar.
Akhil Gogoi has conveyed that if Congress refuses to concede at least 20 seats, Raijor Dal will contest the 2026 elections independently, even at the cost of multi-cornered fights. 
The demand has placed the Congress in a serious strategic dilemma. Agreeing to the 20–24 seat demand would reduce Congress’s electoral space, including in constituencies where it remains the main opposition force. Rejecting it, however, risks splitting anti-BJP votes—a scenario Congress leaders admit could prove electorally costly.
With Raijor Dal pushing for clarity by the end of January, the 24-seat list—revealed first by Northeast Scoop—has emerged as the central flashpoint in opposition negotiations, forcing Congress to make a decisive call in the coming weeks.
