Guwahati, Oct 24 (PTI) Two days after the resignation of state Congress chief Bhupen Kumar Borah as the president of the united opposition forum in Assam over differences in seat sharing for bypolls, the alliance on Thursday named its new head.
The Asom Sonmilito Morcha (ASOM) also resolved to move forward even without the Congress, which had been at the forefront in forming the conglomerate of anti-BJP forces ahead of the last Lok Sabha elections.
ASOM general secretary Lurinjyoti Gogoi, addressing a press conference after an emergent meeting of the alliance here, said, "It has been decided that Rajya Sabha MP and Anchalik Gana Morcha chief Ajit Kumar Bhuyan will be the president of ASOM."
Jones Ingti Kathar and Suprakash Talukdar have been named as working presidents, he added.
"Even without the Congress, ASOM will remain a force and will continue its fight against the BJP and its allied forces," Gogoi asserted.
He claimed that the Congress had betrayed the alliance by declaring its candidate for the Behali constituency, which it had initially decided to leave for the ASOM ally CPI(ML) Liberation.
Bypolls are scheduled in five Assembly constituencies of the state, with the ASOM alliance earlier announcing that Congress will fight in four seats and ally CPI(ML) Liberation will contest the fifth one.
The AICC, however, announced former senior BJP leader Jayanta Bora as its candidate for Behali late on Wednesday.
State Congress chief Borah had on Tuesday night resigned as the president of ASOM expressing "tremendous pressure" after the Congress high command refused to accept the united opposition's nominee the CPI(ML) Liberation.