Guwahati: Former Assam chief minister and the president of regional Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and Prafulla Kumar Mahanta resigned from the party post on Monday owning up responsibility for defeat of the party in successive elections held in Assam for the last few years.
Mahanta tendered his resignation as the president during the meeting of the central executive committee of the regional party held at its headquarter here. The AGP was elected to power in Assam in 1985 and 1996. Mahanta was the founder president of the regional party that was formed in 1985 at the culmination of Assam Agitation (1979-1985) against illegal migrationfrom Bangladesh.
However, the prolonged downhill journey of the party started after it had been made to bite the dust in 2001 Assembly election by the Congress led by Tarun Gogoi. Since then the party has been performing very poorly in all the elections held in Assam including Assembly polls, Lok Sabha Polls, panchayat polls and civic bodies’ polls. The party drew blank in Lok Sabha polls held this year.
There has been a growing demand within the party for removal of Mahanta from the post of president and infusion of young blood so that the party could be revived.
Emerging out of the central executive committee meeting, Mahanta said, “I have quit as the president of the AGP owning up responsibility for defeat in recent elections. I have handed over the charge to the working president Atul Bora.” “I will remain in the party and continue to perform my role and responsibilities as an MLA in the Assembly,” the two-time chief minister said.
The general council of the AGP will sit on Tuesday where a new executive body is supposed to be constituted. Many senior leaders of the regional party were showing interests to quit their post after Mahanta resigned as the president.
AGP had contested 12 of the 14 Lok Sabha seats in Assam but failed to win a single seat.
Asked about the party’s future, Mahanta said, “There are several committed leaders in the party and we will work unitedly to strengthen it from within so that we can emerge stronger in the future.” The demand for Mahanta’s resignation as party chief was raised after the party’s debacle in the 2011 Assembly polls when the AGP won only 10 seats losing the status of Principal Opposition Party in the Assembly to AIUDF.
Several senior AGP leaders, including Union Minister of State with Independent charge for Sports and Youth Affairs Sarbananda Sonowal, had left the party to join the BJP.
Among other prominent party leaders who joined the BJP before the last Lok Sabha polls include former president and minister Chandra Mohan Patowary and former Ministers Hiten Goswami and Atul Bora (Sr). Mahanta, party MLA from Baharampur, was the chief minister of the state from 1985-1990 and again from 1996-2001. (With inputs from PTI)