Guwahati: Even as the results of Assam assembly polls are being awaited by political parties and the voters, former Assam chief minister and senior AGP leader Prafulla Kumar Mahanta has hogged the limelight by taking a stand that the BJP-led alliance is yet to have discussion on its chief minister candidate in case it wins enough seats to form the next government.
Mahanta and his men within the AGP, a key constituent of the BJP-led opposition parties’ alliance in Assam, maintain that Union minister of state for sports and youth affairs, Sarbananda Sonowal, was declared the chief minister candidate of the BJP party before he polls , but not of that of the BJP-led alliance.
However, the AGP president Atul Bora in no time has assured that there should be no doubt that Sarbabanda Sonowal of the BJP will be the chief minister if the BJP-led alliance gets sufficient seats in Assam assembly to form the next government.
He has dismissed Prafulla Kumar Mahanta’s stand vis-à-vis Sarbananda Sonowal as not the stand of the party.
However, many other senior AGP leaders have maintained a stoic silence thereby adding to the confusion.
Mahanta is not known to have the best of rapport with Atul Bora who succeeded him as the AGP president.
However, Sarbananda Sonowal apparently avoids to react directly to the stand of Mahanta and maintains that “The people of Assam have voted for a change this time that have made all of us responsible to work together to make Assam and all its people prosper in all fronts.”
Another key ally of the BJP, the BPF maintains that it is up to the BJP to choose its CM if the BJP-led alliance comes to power much to the relief of the BJP. “We will be in the government. The responsibility to pick the CM lies with the BJP,” BPF president Hagrama Mohilary said.
A BJP MP, from Assam R P Sharma said creating an uncomfortable situation for Sarbananda Sonowal by any of the partners of the alliance at this juncture was unfortunate as they should remember the alliance went to the polls by projecting Sonowal as the chief minister.
