Infighting erupts within BJP, AGP camps after seat-sharing deal in Assam

Within hours of the BJP announcing seat-sharing with its allies for the Assam elections, infighting broke out in the saffron party and its major ally, the AGP.

The BJP has two allies in Assam — the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and the United People’s Party Liberal (UPPL). On Friday (March 5), the three finalised the seat-sharing in 104 Assembly segments where polling will be held mostly in the first and second phases. Assam has 126 Assembly constituencies where elections will be held in three phases, on March 27, April 1 and April 6.

The BJP has announced candidates for 70 seats. Many of these constituencies include the ones held by incumbent MLAs of the AGP.

The first BJP list leaves out senior leader Ashok Sarma, incumbent MLA from Nalbari, and has named Congress turncoat Jayanta Malla Buzarbaruah as the candidate. Buzarbaruah was the Congress MLA of Nalbari from 2011-2016 before switching to the BJP.

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Former BJP MP from Nagaon and Union Minister of State for Railways Rajen Gohain expressed disappointment over denial of a party ticket. Gohain told the media that he would contest from some other party and that he was already in talks. Sources said Gohain is likely to contest from the newly formed Asom Jatiya Parishad.

Gohain, after being denied a ticket to the contest the Lok Sabha election last year, had expressed interest before the BJP leadership to contest the Assam assembly election from the Nagaon or Barhampur constituency.

The BJP-led alliance comprising AGP and the BPF won 86 out of the 126 seats in the 2016 assembly elections, but this time the alliance is in troubled waters due to rebellion within the parties. The BPF has broken away from the BJP alliance and has shifted to the Grand Alliance led by the Congress, its former ally.

The AGP and BJP leadership has decided not to field candidates who had spoken out against the Citizenship Amendment Act. Three prominent AGP politicians — former CM Prafulla Kumar Mahanta, former ministers and senior leaders Brindaban Goswami and Utpal Dutta are likely to face the axe.

The BJP has put up a candidate from Dutta’s constituency, and the AGP leadership plans to give ticket to Prithvi Raj Rabha, son of late Bishnu Prasad Rabha, a prominent cultural figure from Assam.

The saffron party has also fielded candidate for the Kamalpur constituency which is currently held by AGP MLA Satyabrata Kalita.

Former Assam CM Mahanta, who has been winning from the Barhampur constituency in Nagaon since 1991, has been denied a ticket by the AGP as the seat has been given to the BJP’s Jitu Goswami who had contested the 2016 assembly election from the adjoining Samaguri constituency.

The Mahanta camp is reviving the AGP (P) which was formed by the former CM after he was expelled from the party in 2005. The party plans to put up at least 10 candidates.

“We are working to revive the party and will contest at least 10 constituencies. Talks are on with other political parties for a possible alliance,” said Pravab Goswami, general secretary of the AGP (P).

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Former AGP president and Tezpur MLA Brindaban Goswami told media that he would contest the election, and will take a decision soon.

Assam Congress chief Ripun Bora has, meanwhile, said the party is open for talks with those who have been denied ticket from the AGP and the BJP, and that the Congress leadership has reached out to Mahanta and Kalita to join the grand old party.