Guwahati: In the wake of Sarbananda Sonowal being named the party’s chief ministerial candidate by the BJP’s parliamentary board, the saffron party in Assam is now all geared up to take on the ruling Congress-led by veteran Tarun Gogoi by forging poll alliance with like-minded parties so that anti-Congress votes in the state don’t go waste in the next Assembly polls due after few months.
After being declared as the party’s candidate for the CM’s post in Assam, Sonowal announced that the BJP would go to the polls taking all like-minded groups along with it.Sonowal said, “The BJP has kept its door open for all like-minded political groups barring the Congress and the AIUDF led by Badaruddin Ajmal, for forging ties to defeat Congress in the polls.”
A source informed that BJP is on the verge of forging an alliance with regional Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), as its think tank believes that both the BJP and the AGP stand to lose in terms of vote share if the parties fight each other in the polls given that they share the same vote bank especially in the dominant Brahmaputra Valley in Assam.Major chunk of Assembly segments in Assam are located in Brahmaputra valley on both the north and south banks of the might river that flows down the valley from east to west. The AGP used to have a bastion among indigenous communities in Brahmaputra valley.
Though the AGP which ruled Assam for two terms since 1985, is now passing through a lean patch in the wake of emergence of the BJP in the state at its cost, the regional party still have bases, however small it may be, in all the Assembly segments in Brahmaputra valley.
So, in the vent of triangular contest among the Congress, BJP and AGP it will be advantage Congress in Brahmaputra Valley because of imminent division of anti-Congress votes between the AGP and the BJP.
It had happened in two previous Assembly polls.
A senior BJP leader informed that the covert negotiation for alliance between the BJP and the AGP is facing a hurdle with AGP demanding about 40 seats while the BJP which has seen an upsurge in the state of late, is willing to give away only about 20 seats.
It is expected that the AGP given the situation it is in now, will try to ride on the BJP’s shoulder.
However, knowing that senior BJP leaders Sonowal as well as Himanta Bishwa Sharma are known to have good personal rapport with many senior AGP stalwarts, they may be able to cobble up an alliance to put common enemy Congress in trouble.
On the other hand, shrewd chief minister Tarun Gogoi is trying to create confusion by opening the Congress’ door for the AGP for a poll understanding.
The APCC president Anjan Dutta too have admitted efforts for an alliance with the AGP.
