Assam: Jailed activist Akhil Gogoi takes oath as MLA, alleges manhandling at the Assembly
Gogoi had won the Sibsagar constituency in the recently held state elections by a margin of over 11,000 votes Yesterday · 09:13 pm Jailed activist Akhil Gogoi takes oath as an MLA in Assam Assembly on Friday, May 21. | Akhil Gogoi/Twitter screengrab
Jailed peasants’ rights activist Akhil Gogoi on Friday took oath as an MLA in the Assam Assembly after a National Investigation Agency court allowed him to do so. Gogoi, who had won the Sibsagar constituency in the recently held state elections, is the first person in Assam’s history to have won an election from jail, according to
Akhil Gogoi has been in jail since December 2019 in connection with anti-CAA protests (File)
Guwahati:
Jailed activist and Raijor Dal President Akhil Gogoi has written a letter from jail to thank the people of Assam s Sivasagar for electing him as their representative. Mr Gogoi contested last month s Assembly election from jail and beat the BJP s Surabhi Rajkonwar by 11,875 votes.
Members of his party held a press conference in Guwahati on Monday to convey his gratitude. I express deep gratitude to the people of Assam for supporting me by going against the government. I thank each and every one of those who supported me. I thank the new government and urge them to ensure that everyone should get free vaccines. The government should organise vaccine camps in villages and at panchayat level for the people, Mr Gogoi wrote in his letter.
In Assam, Congress stitches up a broad alliance. Will it be able to topple the BJP?
The entry of the Bodo People’s Front could give the new coalition some real firepower. Mar 06, 2021 · 09:00 am BPF President Hagrama Mahilary and Assam Congress chief Ripun Bora addressing a joint press conference in Guwahati on February 28, 2021. | PTI
On February 28, with assembly elections less than a month away, the Congress-led alliance in Assam got a boost when the Bodo People’s Front joined it.
Until then, the “mohajut” – as the alliance is called – included the All India United Democratic Front that largely represents the interests of Assam’s Muslims of Bengali origin, three Left parties and a newly formed regional party in addition to the Congress.