Opposition parties in Assam decide to form anti-BJP front for 2026 Assembly polls
Guwahati: Seven Opposition parties including Congress in Assam on Wednesday decided to form an anti-BJP front for the Assembly elections expected to take place next year.
The parties in the proposed Opposition bloc are the Congress, the Raijor Dal, the Assam Jatiya Parishad, the Anchalik Gana Morcha, the Communist Party of India, the Communist Party of India (Marxist), the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) and the All-Party Hill Leaders’ Conference.
The All India United Democratic Front, which had contested the 2021 polls in seat-sharing arrangements with the Congress, is not part of the bloc, as reported by Deccan Herald. However, sources quoted by the newspaper did not rule out the possibility of a post-poll alliance with Badruddin Ajmal-led AIUDF.
After a two-hour meeting of the eight-party alliance on Wednesday, Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) President Gaurav Gogoi stated that the coalition had been formed to liberate the people of the state from the "corruption and oppression" of the current government.
"We all had an eagerness to contest the next Assembly elections together in order to free the people of Assam from the harassment, corruption and divisive politics of BJP and Himanta Biswa Sarma government. Today, we have taken that decision to unseat BJP,” DH quoted him as saying.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, however, downplayed the formation of the new bloc. “Such meetings of Opposition parties and subsequent quarrels among themselves are common. Now that elections are around the corner, we will see more such meetings,” The Hindu quoted the BJP leader as saying.
Meanwhile, reports suggest that BJP is likely to contest the polls in alliance with Asom Gana Parishad and Bodoland People's Front (BPF).
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Rupee falls 9 paise to all-time low of 90.58 against US dollar in early trade
Mumbai (PTI): Rupee depreciated 9 paise to an all-time low of 90.58 against US dollar in early trade on Monday, weighed down by uncertainty over an India-US trade deal and persistent foreign fund outflows.
Forex traders said rupee is trading with a negative bias as investors are in wait and watch mode and awaiting cues from the India-US trade deal front.
At the interbank foreign exchange market, the rupee opened at 90.53 against the US dollar, then fell further to an all-time intraday low of 90.58 against the greenback, registering a fall of 9 paise over its previous close.
On Friday, the rupee had slipped 17 paise to close at an all-time low of 90.49 against the American currency.
Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, was trading 0.05 per cent lower at 98.35.
Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, was trading higher by 0.52 per cent at USD 61.44 per barrel in futures trade.
On the domestic equity market front, the 30-share benchmark index Sensex was trading 298.86 points lower at 84,968.80, while the Nifty was down 121.40 points at 25,925.55.
Foreign Institutional Investors sold equities worth Rs 1,114.22 crore on Friday, according to exchange data.
"FPIs continue to be in selling mode in equity and debt while RBI has been selling dollars to fund their long positions," said Anil Kumar Bhansali, Head of Treasury and Executive Director Finrex Treasury Advisors LLP.
