Guwahati: Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president Gaurav Gogoi on Saturday launched a sharp attack on the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the BJP government while addressing a Congress campaign rally at Pakhimoria in Raha Assembly constituency ahead of the Nagaon Lok Sabha by-election.
The rally was organised by the Pakhimoria Block Congress Committee in support of Congress candidate Sibamoni Bora, who is among the candidates contesting the October 6 Nagaon parliamentary bypoll. The Election Commission has officially listed Bora as the Congress candidate for the constituency.
Addressing the gathering, Gogoi said the by-election should not be viewed merely as a contest for a single parliamentary seat. According to the APCC, he described it as a broader struggle concerning the Constitution, democracy and citizens’ voting rights.
Gogoi also questioned the functioning and impartiality of the Election Commission, alleging that voter lists and electoral processes were being manipulated under pressure from the ruling BJP leadership. He cited the previous Assembly election in Raha while making his allegations and claimed that attempts were being made to remove names from electoral rolls and prevent new voters from enrolling through Form 6.
The Congress leader contrasted the current situation with the decision during former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi’s tenure to lower the voting age to 18. He alleged that the BJP government was attempting to weaken the voting rights of ordinary citizens, including students, women and workers.
Gogoi also criticised what he described as the BJP’s communal politics, saying that such politics could not succeed in Assam’s social environment shaped by the traditions associated with Srimanta Sankardev and Ajan Pir.
During the rally, Gogoi condemned the reported attack on Congress candidate Sibamoni Bora’s convoy in Samaguri during the election campaign. The Assam Congress had earlier questioned the police response and security arrangements following the alleged incident involving Bora’s convoy.
Gogoi alleged that stones and bottles were thrown at the vehicle carrying the Congress candidate and criticised the administration’s response. He called on voters to respond through the democratic process.
In an interaction with journalists, Gogoi also targeted Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, alleging that the Election Commission was acting in the interests of the BJP. He said, “We had heard about the BJP’s IT cell, but now a BJP IT cell has been opened right inside Gyanesh Kumar’s office.”
Gogoi further alleged that efforts were being made to influence the country’s electoral rolls and demanded that Kumar publicly explain who, according to him, was directing such actions.
These allegations were made by Gogoi and the Congress; the claims about the ECI’s functioning and political direction were not independently established in the material issued by the APCC.
The rally was attended by AICC secretary and APCC co-in-charge Manoj Chauhan, MP Rakibul Hussain, former Assam Legislative Assembly Leader of Opposition Debabrata Saikia, MLA Ashraful Islam, Assam Pradesh Mahila Congress president Mira Borthakur Goswami, Nagaon District Congress president Runumoni Bora and youth leader Utpal Bania, among other Congress leaders and workers.
The Nagaon Lok Sabha seat fell vacant following the resignation of former MP Pradyut Bordoloi in March 2026. The Election Commission has scheduled polling for October 6, with the election to be completed by October 1