In a move aimed at bolstering opposition unity against the ruling BJP, the Assam wing of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) announced on Friday its decision to withdraw its candidate from the Guwahati Lok Sabha constituency. The party urged the Congress to reciprocate by withdrawing its candidates from the Dibrugarh and Sonitpur seats, where AAP has fielded its own nominees.
Despite being part of the 16-party United Opposition Forum, Assam (UOFA), formed to collectively contest the general elections, both the Congress and AAP have experienced internal discord. This was evident as members of the forum announced candidates against each other in different constituencies of the state, leading to a rift within the alliance.
In a statement, the AAP voiced its discontent with the Congress for announcing candidates for the three seats where the former had already declared its nominees. The grand old party unveiled its candidate list for 12 seats on Tuesday, reserving Dibrugarh for UOFA partner Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) and leaving one seat, Lakhimpur, undecided regarding its candidate.
AJP president Lurinjyoti Gogoi's name was announced as the candidate for Dibrugarh earlier on Friday. The AAP had named its state president Bhaben Chaudhary for Guwahati, Manoj Dhanowar for Dibrugarh and Rishi Raj Kaundiniya for Sonitpur in February. The AAP pointed out that for the sake of defeating the BJP-led NDA, it has made "adjustments and sacrifices" in different states, but alleged that the Congress did not reciprocate the spirit in Assam.
The party clarified that it had announced its candidates for the three seats a month prior due to delays in reaching a consensus on candidates and constituencies within the UOFA. However, the Congress's decision to announce candidates for the same constituencies where the AAP had already named its nominees has led to a crisis in the unity of opposition politics, the statement said.