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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Minor girl kidnapped and raped; main accused and two cafe owners held
Latur (PTI): A minor girl was allegedly kidnapped and raped by an 18-year-old man in Latur, leading to the arrest of the main accused and owners of two cafes where the crime occurred on December 4, police said on Saturday.
Police traced the girl within hours of registering the complaint. The accused, identified as Rihan Gulab Shaikh, was arrested based on the girl's complaint. Two others are owners of two cafes where the crime occurred, police said.
Police registered a case under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS), POCSO Act, and the Prevention of Atrocities Act, an official said.
