Guwahati, Aug 27 (PTI) Congress Lok Sabha MP Gaurav Gogoi on Friday said it is time for the party to be "independent of the Grand Alliance'' in Assam as it is the only party that can take on the BJP.

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Gogoi said in a statement that he had a one-on-one meeting with the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) President Bhupen Borah who asked him for his views on the future of the Grand Alliance.

“I believe it is time for the Congress in Assam to be independent of the Alliance as it is the only party that can take on the BJP", he said.

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The party organisation however needs to be strengthened across the state, including in constituencies where there are MLAs of the Alliance, the Kaliabor MP said.

The Alliance was finalised only a few months before the 2021 elections. Prior to that the party has fulfilled its duty as an opposition party on its own, Gogoi, whose late father Tarun Gogoi was chief minister of the state for 15 years, pointed out.

Within the Assam assembly, the party may continue to consult other opposition parties if and when the BJP government brings anti-people policies, he added.

"People have huge expectations from the Congress and if we fulfil these, we will form the next government in 2026. These sentiments are not only mine but that of thousands of party workers across the state", Gogoi said.

The 10-party Grand Alliance or the 'Mahajot', led by the Congress, was formed before the 2021 assembly elections in the state.

Besides the Congress, it comprises of the All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF), Jimochayan (Deori) People's Party (JDPP), Adivasi National Party (ANP), CPM, CPI, CPI (ML), Anchalik Gana Morcha, Bodoland People's Party (BPF) and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD).

The Alliance had won 50 seats in the assembly polls with Congress securing 29 seats, AIUDF 16, BPF four and the CPI(M) one.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)