Dispur (Assam) [India], January 26 (ANI): In an effort to increase the administrative expediency, the Assam government has sanctioned the formation of a new administrative district which will be known as 'Tamulpur', says an official order.

Guwahati Sep 20 PTI The Congress is gearing up to fight the assembly by-polls in Assam likely to take place by the end of this year alone without forming any alliance state party president Bhupen Kumar Borah said on Monday The state Congress has decided to field its own candidates in the seats where by-polls will be held as it wants to regain the lost ground in the constituencies that were offered to alliance partners before the assembly elections held earlier this year he saidFive assembly seats are now lying vacant due to deaths and resignations of MLAs while another legislator who became a Union minister is yet to quit his membership in the House Due to the alliance our organisation became weak in many areas like the Bodoland Territorial Region BTR Our cadres got demotivated in those constituencies where we did not contest We need to strengthen those seats Borah said in an interaction with senior journalists of the state media In order to enthuse the ground workers and strengthen the party organisation keeping in mind the Lok Sabha polls in 2024 and the assembly elections in 2026 the Congress will fight the by-polls alone he added The Congress which was in power for 15 years in Assam since 2001 had formed a Grand Alliance with the AIUDF BPF CPIM CPI CPIML Anchalik Gana Morcha AGM RJD Adivasi National Party ANP and the Jimochayan Deori Peoples Party JPP to fight against the BJP-led NDA in the assembly election this year The Assam Pradesh Congress Committee last month decided to break the alliance with the AIUDF and the Bodoland Peoples Front BPF while the CPIM has said it only had a seat-sharing arrangement with the Congress but was not a part of an alliance It will send a strong message to our workers that we are serious about rebuilding the party We had some discussions with regional opposition parties like the Raijor Dal RD and the Assam Jatiya Parishad AJP But the Raijor Dal has already announced the candidate for one seat Borah said He however said the proposal of AJP president Lurinjyoti Gogoi to give a common candidate in one seat is still under consideration We have sought applications from interested Congress leaders in the six constituencies by September 27 We will make a final decision only after that If we insist on united opposition we cannot enthuse our workers Borah said In the 126-member Assam Assembly byelections will take place in six seats -- Mariani Thowra Bhabanipur Tamulpur Gossaigaon and MajuliTwo MLAs of the Congress and one of the All India United Democratic Front AIUDF have joined the BJP and resigned from the assembly One legislator each of the United Peoples Party Liberal UPPL and the Bodoland Peoples Front BPF diedThe sixth seat is likely to fall vacant when former chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal resigns as he has joined the Union Cabinet as a minister At present the BJP has 60 MLAs but effectively 59 as Sonowal is yet to resign from the Assembly The ruling alliance partners -- the AGP has nine and UPPL has five MLAs The Congress strength is 27 while the BPF has three and the CPIM has one MLA There is one Independent MLA also PTI TR DG NN NN