The newly-floated Raijor Dal (RD) on Sunday announced the names of two more candidates, following All Assam Minority Students' Union (AAMSU) leader Azizur Rahman and former BJP leader Madhab Mushahary joining the party ahead of the Assembly polls.
Mr. Rahman will contest from Naoboicha and Mushahary from Jonai constituencies, both of which are in Upper Assam and go to polls in the first phase on March 27.
RD working president Bhasco De Saikia said the party has decided to contest from a minimum number of seats to ensure votes are not divided and the BJP is defeated.
The party had announced the names of 17 candidates on Saturday.
"We are not fighting the elections for the lust of power but with the sole objective of defeating th BJP to save Assam and its identity. If the BJP-RSS is allowed to rule the State, the people of Assam will be doomed," he said.
The 2021 Assembly polls is a fight to ensure that the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) is not implemented and to save the state's resources from being sold to outsiders, he said.
"Our appeal to people of the state is to unite against those forces who are bent on implementing the CAA and ensure that the BJP does not return to power," Mr.Saikia said.
He also criticised the Congress for fielding a candidate in Sibsagar from where jailed RD president Akhil Gogoi will contest.
"The Congress had earlier announced that it will not put up a candidate against Gogoi in the interest of preventing the CAA from being implemented in the state, but went ahead with its nomination for Sibsagar," he said.
The Congress may have gone back on its promise but "we will not take any step that will further divide the votes and benefit the BJP", Mr. Saikia added.
Asked about its alliance partner, the Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) fielding candidates in many constituencies where it is contesting, the RD leader admitted the party is facing a few issues in some seats, and "we are trying to resolve these amicably through discussions".
Both RD and AJP are committed to the alliance and to the firm resolve of defeating the BJP and all anti-CAA forces, he asserted.
Elections to the 126-member Assam assembly will be held in three phases on March 27, April 1 and April 6.
