BJP to finalise seat-sharing with allies between Feb 15 & Feb 20: Himanta | Guwahati News

Guwahati: BJP will finalise seat sharing with its alliance partners between Feb 15 and 20, CM Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Wednesday, as opposition unity in the state remains uncertain with Congress yet to conclude a seat-sharing agreement among opposition parties.Speaking to the media in Lakhimpur, Sarma said, “The seat sharing among our alliance partners will be on Feb 15, 20, though what kind of candidates we will prioritise cannot be revealed today.” He said BJP’s survey process collects feedback down to the booth level before the central parliamentary board takes ticket decisions.Sarma said naming candidates is easier in constituencies with a single aspirant, but difficult where multiple contenders are in the fray. He also said the party generally avoids fielding candidates from outside a constituency’s district. “We usually do not bring candidates from other districts unless it is very necessary. Such culture is not there in BJP, though there are exceptions,” Sarma said.On the opposition side, seat-sharing tensions continued after Raijor Dal president Akhil Gogoi set a Jan 31 deadline for Congress on Tuesday to finalise the alliance and decide seat allocations. CPI said on Wednesday it would contest seven seats if Congress does not respond soon.An eight-party opposition alliance — Congress, Raijor Dal, Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP), Anchalik Gana Morcha, CPM, CPI, CPI(ML), and APHLC — was finalised in Nov for the 2026 assembly polls, but a seat-sharing agreement is still pending. Congress has been focusing on finalising its own candidate list, with Assam PCC president Gaurav Gogoi recently saying the party’s first priority is to field candidates in 100 seats.CPI state secretary Kanak Gogoi said CPI wants a “dignified seat-sharing arrangement” to defeat BJP, but claimed Congress has not responded to a list of seven seats the CPI submitted earlier this month. The seats are Sivasagar, Nazira, Demow, Titabor, Morigaon, Dhakuakhana and Gauripur.“We have the names of our probable candidates, which will be finalised soon,” Gogoi said at a news conference on Wednesday. Sivasagar and Nazira currently have Akhil Gogoi and Leader of Opposition Debabrata Saikia as sitting MLAs.Kanak Gogoi said the CPI could reduce its list, but warned it would go ahead with candidate announcements if ignored. “We are dissatisfied with Congress’s role. If seat sharing is not finalised soon, we will announce our candidates in 7 seats. In the remaining 119 seats, we will appeal to vote for other opposition parties. It is too late for seat sharing,” he added.