Guwahati: In a development that could reshape the opposition landscape in Assam, Raijor Dal chief Akhil Gogoi is set to share the stage with Hemant Soren at a major public meeting in Biswanath district on Tuesday, hinting at the emergence of a fresh political alignment ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections. The meeting, scheduled at Mejikajan Tea Estate in Biswanath Chariali, is being organised jointly by the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) and the Jai Bharat Party (JBP). The gathering is expected to bring together leaders from several tribal and regional organisations as they explore a possible electoral understanding.Besides Gogoi and Soren, the event will also see the participation of Jai Bharat Party chief Teharu Gour and senior leaders including JMM MP Vijay Hansda and Jharkhand minister Chamra Linda. Leaders of Adivasi organisations, including AASAA president Rejan Horo and general secretary Deben Orang, are also expected to attend.Chamra Linda has already been campaigning in the Tezpur region for several weeks as part of JMM’s effort to strengthen its organisational base in Assam.
Political observers say the Mejikajan rally could mark the beginning of a new political experiment. With seat-sharing talks within the Congress-led opposition bloc facing hurdles, Gogoi’s participation in the event suggests that Raijor Dal may be exploring a broader regional alliance or even a “third front” centred on indigenous and tea tribe communities.
For Gogoi, appearing alongside Soren — a prominent tribal leader with a national profile — could strengthen his bargaining position within the opposition space or open the door to a separate regional platform.JMM’s outreach in Assam has been building gradually over the past few months. On February 1, Soren addressed a large Adivasi rally in Margherita. Earlier in January, a delegation led by Chamra Linda, along with Vijay Hansda and legislators MT Raja and Bhushan Tirkey, quietly toured parts of the state.During the visit, the team held closed-door meetings with Adivasi leaders cutting across party lines, including those associated with the Congress, the BJP and the newly formed Jai Bharat Party.Sources familiar with the discussions said issues such as stagnant wages in tea gardens, lack of land rights, limited access to healthcare and education, and the long-pending demand for full Scheduled Tribe status dominated the conversations.Participants reportedly told the visiting leaders, “We are tribals, not tea tribes,” reflecting the deep frustration over identity and exclusion that has persisted for decades.Party insiders say JMM is closely studying around 35 to 40 Assembly constituencies in Assam where Adivasis and tea garden workers form a decisive voting bloc — a significant factor in the state’s 126-member Assembly.Assam’s Adivasi population, largely descended from labourers brought by the British from present-day Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, is estimated at nearly 70 lakh, roughly one-fifth of the state’s population. However, the 2011 Census recognises only 3.88 million as Scheduled Tribes, leaving a large section outside the ambit of constitutional protections.Adding to the momentum, Soren is also scheduled to address a National Adivasi Meet organised by the All Adivasi Students’ Association of Assam at Borgolai in Margherita, where organisers expect a turnout of nearly five lakh people.Opinions remain divided on how far JMM’s push can influence Assam politics. Former AASAA president Stephen Lakra believes alliances will determine the impact.“If JMM ties up with the Congress, it may have an effect. If it contests alone, the impact could be limited,” Lakra said. Also Watch:
The BJP, however, has dismissed the development. State BJP spokesperson Rupam Goswami said JMM has little organisational presence in Assam and lacks an electoral track record in the state.Yet ground realities in the tea belt remain complex. More than 94 per cent of Assam’s tribal population lives in rural areas where tea estates continue to face low wages, job insecurity and limited public services. Among younger voters, these conditions have led to growing frustration and a search for alternative political voices.For JMM, the Assam outreach also fits into a broader national strategy as the party looks to expand beyond Jharkhand after being left out of seat-sharing arrangements in the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections.In Guwahati’s political circles, analysts say the Mejikajan rally could either help the opposition consolidate tribal votes or fragment the anti-BJP space — a scenario that might indirectly benefit the ruling BJP led by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.