Over 9,500 new members, including some from BJP, join Congress in Assam ahead of 2026 assembly polls
Guwahati: In a significant political development ahead of next year’s Assam Assembly elections, over 9,500 members, including several from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), have reportedly joined the Congress across the state.
The joining programmes were organised simultaneously across all 35 districts of Assam. They were held from Dhubri, Goalpara, Bongaigaon and Kamrup in western Assam, to Morigaon and Nagaon in central Assam, and further east in Jorhat, Sivasagar, Charaideo and Dibrugarh. Similar programmes were conducted in the northern districts of Dhemaji, Lakhimpur and Sonitpur, Deccan Herald reported on Tuesday.
In Dhubri, the joining event was attended by Lok Sabha MP and former minister Rakibul Hussain. Addressing a similar function in Philobari, Tinsukia district, Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president Gaurav Gogoi launched a sharp attack on the BJP-led state government, alleging that the people of Assam were being “crushed under coal syndicates, sand syndicates, supari (betel nut) syndicates and illegal tax.” Gogoi also criticised the government for neglecting the state’s tea industry, a key sector in Assam’s economy.
In Guwahati, more than 100 individuals, including lawyers from the Gauhati High Court, senior citizens, and members who had held key posts in the saffron party, formally joined the Congress under the initiative of the Guwahati District Congress Committee.
Gogoi claimed that growing discontent with Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s “autocratic style of governance” had led to an increasing number of people joining the Congress. "Keeping this mind, we organised joining programmes on September 10, October 10 and November 10. We will organise similar joining programme on December 10 also," he said.
Reacting to the development, Chief Minister Sarma dismissed Gogoi’s remarks, calling them “childish” and accusing the Congress leader of lacking political maturity.
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India asks its nationals in Iran to leave by available means
New Delhi (PTI): India on Monday advised all its nationals residing in Iran to leave the country by all available means of transport, including commercial flights, in view of the evolving security situation.
The Indian embassy in Iran issued a fresh advisory to the Indian nationals amid fresh protests in Tehran and increasing fears of US military strikes on the Gulf nation. Students at several universities in Iran held anti-government demonstrations in a first such agitation since Tehran's brutal crackdown on the protesters last month.
According to official estimates in January, little over 10,000 Indians, including students, were living in Iran.
"In continuation of the advisory issued by the government of India on January 5 and in view of the evolving situation in Iran, Indian nationals who are currently in Iran (students, pilgrims, business persons and tourists) are advised to leave Iran by available means of transport, including commercial flights," the embassy said.
The mission also reiterated that all Indian citizens and PIOs (persons of Indian-origin) should exercise due caution, avoid areas of protests or demonstrations and stay in contact with the Indian Embassy.
"All Indian nationals in Iran are requested to also have their travel and immigration documents, including passports and identity cards, readily available with them," the mission said in the advisory.
"They are requested to contact the Indian Embassy for any assistance in this regard," it said.
