In a significant pre-election outreach effort, the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) launched an ambitious statewide campaign, “Raijor Podulit, Raijor Congress” (People’s Path, People’s Congress), from Dibrugarh on Saturday. The cornerstone of this initiative is the innovative “Aspirational Boxes” program, designed to crowdsource the party’s manifesto directly from the public ahead of the next Assembly polls.
APCC President Gaurav Gogoi, alongside key leaders including Manifesto Committee Chairman Pradyut Bordoloi, launched the campaign before a diverse gathering of community organisations from Eastern Assam. The central strategy involves deploying over 4,000 physical suggestion boxes at high-footfall locations such as markets, bus stops, tea garden labour lines, and community halls across the state. These boxes will invite citizens to submit their grievances and aspirations on issues ranging from employment, wages, and healthcare to infrastructure and education.
Explaining the participatory vision, Pradyut Bordoloi stated, “Our aim is to build a roadmap that earns the trust of every community. We want the voices of the people to be heard, understood, and reflected in a manifesto that truly represents them.” The collected inputs will be synthesised to formulate what the party calls a “people-driven” electoral agenda.
Gaurav Gogoi outlined a phased rollout, beginning with direct community interactions from today and escalating into a coordinated statewide yatra by month’s end. Party teams will be divided into five zones to engage with farmers, labourers, youth, and various socioeconomic groups. Gogoi also announced plans for a joint opposition convention in January to present a united governance alternative.
The campaign is positioned by the Congress as a direct response to mounting public discontent. Gogoi listed several unaddressed issues, including the unfulfilled promise of a flood-free Assam, the stagnant daily wage of tea workers at Rs 250, pending Scheduled Tribe status demands, and critical gaps in healthcare and education. The APCC, under the coordination of AICC General Secretary Jitendra Singh, will now oversee the execution of the large-scale democratic exercise across all districts of Assam.
