Candidates of both the Congress and CPI(ML), allies till Wednesday, filed their respective nominations for the Behali Assembly constituency in Assam on Friday, a day after the Opposition alliance collapsed following differences over candidate selection.

The bitterness of the separation was reflected in the attack launched by ASOM leaders on the Congress’ “betrayal” over candidate selection for the November 13 bypoll at a nomination rally organised for the CPI(ML) candidate, Lakhikant Kurmi, in Behali.

Both parties were part of the Opposition bloc, Asom Sonmilito Morcha (ASOM) till Wednesday, and had also fought the 2021 state Assembly and the 2024 Lok Sabha poll together.

The ASOM decided to go its separate ways on Thursday after the Congress nominated Jayanta Borah on Wednesday night despite assuring to back the candidate chosen by the allies by electing Rajya Sabha MP Ajit Bhuyan as its new president.

PCC chief Bhupen Kumar Borah resigned as the ASOM president on Tuesday night over candidate selection issue. ASOM now has 15 parties.

ASOM general secretary Lurinjyoti Gogoi in a 11-minute speech tore into the Congress by urging Congress voters, supporters and honest workers not to vote for the party because voting for the Congress candidate Jayanta Borah will be akin to voting for the BJP, voting for the Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. Gogoi also levelled a startling accusation about Borah being a “dummy BJP candidate supported by a section of Congress” leaders.

Appealing to the “enlightened” voters of Behali, Gogoi said, “The BJP has fielded two candidates. One is the official candidate and the other is the Congress candidate, planted by the ruling party and supported by a section of the Congress. Or why would they decide on giving him a ticket before he has formally joined?”

“My appeal to the voters of Behali is that don’t waste your vote by voting the Congress. Vote CPI(ML) to oust the BJP from Behali and end its arrogance and misgovernance,” Gogoi said.

The Congress nomination rally, led by Jorhat MP Gaurav Gogoi, also saw a good turnout and the presence of several senior leaders. They did not attack the ASOM but instead appealed to the voters put up a strong fight to defeat the BJP’s “misgovernance”.

Borah, who attended the nomination of the party’s Bongaigaon candidate, was still hopeful of fighting the 2026 assembly polls together with ASOM constituents.

The Congress is contesting four of the five seats while BJP three and its allies UPPL and AGP in one each. Behali will see a triangular fight between the BJP, Congress and the CPI(ML).

The seat was won by the BJP in 2021 state polls with Jayanta Borah, contesting as Independent, finishing second, and CPI (ML) Bibek Das coming third. Congress’ objection started with CPI (ML) nominating Das.

Das withdrew in favour of Kurmi to save Opposition unity but the Congress decided to test its own strength after going public about its decision to support a candidate put up by its ASOM allies. Borah joined the Congress on Thursday, only after his ticket was confirmed on Wednesday night, leaving the ASOM in disarray.

Friday also saw the death of a BJP worker Bipul Saikia in poll-bound Samaguri constituency which has seen pre-poll clashes between Congress and BJP workers over three days.

Saikia was injured in a scuffle on Thursday at a BJP meeting venue with unidentified persons, including a journalist, the police said. The scuffle took place around the same time the BJP and Congress workers/supporters clashed about a km away from the meeting venue.