Former AGP leader Jayanta Khaound joins Congress ahead of Assam Assembly polls
New Delhi: In a political development ahead of the upcoming Assam Assembly elections, former Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) Finance Secretary Jayanta Khaound joined the Congress on Monday along with several other party leaders.
Khaound was formally inducted into the party at the Congress headquarters in New Delhi in the presence of senior leaders, including AICC General Secretary and Assam in-charge Jitendra Singh Alwar, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister and senior Congress observer for Assam D.K. Shivakumar, Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) President Gaurav Gogoi and AICC National Secretary Manoj Chauhan.
Welcoming Khaound into the party fold, Gogoi said that the induction of grassroots leaders reflects the growing dissatisfaction among people in Assam with the current leadership of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.
He alleged that many leaders and workers within the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led alliance feel marginalised and constrained under the present state leadership, claiming that dedicated and honest workers are being sidelined while individuals facing corruption allegations are being promoted.
According to Gogoi, Khaound’s decision to switch parties indicates a broader political shift taking shape in the state ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections.
Meanwhile, Assam Congress In-charge Jitendra Singh criticised the BJP, alleging that the party follows a strategy of weakening regional political identities and eventually marginalising regional parties.
He cited political developments in states such as Odisha and Bihar to claim that the BJP often forms alliances with regional parties initially and later attempts to politically overshadow them.
Singh also said that similar political dynamics are visible in Assam, where efforts are being made to weaken the AGP, a long-standing regional party.
He expressed confidence that the joining of political leaders like Khaound would strengthen the Congress organisation in the state and bolster the party’s efforts to safeguard Assam’s cultural identity and political interests.
The development comes as political parties in Assam begin intensifying preparations and realignments ahead of the next Assembly elections in the state.