BJP-AGP Alliance to be Formalized in Assam Within Days, Regional Partnerships Strengthened
Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has announced that the Bharatiya Janata Party's alliance with the Asom Gana Parishad will be formally sealed within the next one or two days, marking a significant development in the state's political landscape ahead of upcoming assembly elections. The Chief Minister emphasized that the saffron party is also expected to finalize its understanding with the Hagrama Mohilary-led Bodoland Peoples' Front by the end of the day, as the BJP intensifies efforts to consolidate regional partners.
Congress Leaders Set to Join BJP on Thursday
In a parallel development, Chief Minister Sarma confirmed that three prominent Congress leaders will officially join the Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday. The defectors include Kamalakhya Dey Purkayastha from the Karimganj North assembly constituency, Sashikanta Das representing the Raha constituency, and Basanta Das from the Mangaldoi (SC) constituency. This move follows the recent high-profile joining of former Congress state president Bhupen Borah on February 22, a transition that had been anticipated for approximately one year.
Detailed Alliance Negotiations and Friendly Contests
Chief Minister Sarma provided specific details regarding the alliance negotiations, stating, "We have completed the talks with the Rabha Hasong Joutha Mancha regarding the alliance for the upcoming assembly polls. On the other hand, we are expecting to finalize the alliance with the Hagrama Mohilary-led Bodoland Peoples' Front by tonight. However, the alliance with AGP will be formally sealed within the next one or two days."
Earlier, Sarma had clarified the BJP's strategic approach, indicating that the party will contest the assembly elections in alliance with the Asom Gana Parishad wherever feasible, while opting for friendly contests in constituencies where neither party is willing to concede. He remarked, "It was absolutely good if the election is contested in a 100% alliance, but BJP does not have any objection to a friendly contest in any seat which AGP also wants to contest." The Asom Gana Parishad currently serves as a key existing ally of the BJP in the state government.
Background and Timing of Political Defections
Regarding the three Congress leaders scheduled to join on Thursday, Chief Minister Sarma had previously disclosed on February 16 that they had been expressing their intention to resign from the Congress and join the BJP for an extended period. However, he had advised them to delay their move in consideration of the elections for three Rajya Sabha seats from Assam. These developments echo past political realignments, including Sashikanta Das's controversial support for Sarma's government in 2021 despite his official Congress affiliation, underscoring the ongoing fluidity in Assam's political dynamics.
Rajya Sabha Elections and Additional Political Shifts
Three Assam Rajya Sabha seats are due to become vacant on April 9 as the terms of BJP MPs Bhubaeswar Kalita and Rameswar Teli, along with Anchalik Gana Morcha MP Ajit Kumar Bhuyan, will conclude. Elections for these positions must be conducted beforehand, likely by early April to comply with statutory deadlines. In a separate political development, Abdur Rashid Mandal, who represented Goalpara West in 2006, 2016, and 2021 on a Congress ticket, has officially joined the Sivasagar MLA Akhil Gogoi-led Raijor Dal. He was accompanied by Baghbar MLA Sherman Ali Ahmed, who was initially elected in 2011 on an AIUDF ticket before switching to the Congress and securing victories from Baghbar in both 2016 and 2021.
