GUWAHATI: The top leaders of the two allies—Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) held a meeting in Guwahati on Monday to discuss the seat-sharing for the upcoming Assam assembly elections.
The meeting was attended by Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal and North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA) convenor Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma. Assam state BJP president Ranjeet Kumar Dass, BJP national general secretary Dilip Saikia, state organising secretary Phanindranath Sharma, AGP president Atul Bora, senior AGP leaders Keshab Mahanta, Birendra Prasad Baishya and Phani Bhushan Choudhury also attended the meeting.
“In this meeting, important discussion was held regarding the sharing of seats of both the parties in the forthcoming assembly polls,” said state BJP president Ranjeet Kumar Dass in a social media post.
However, minister and AGP leader Keshab Mahanta informed media persons that no final decision on seat-sharing has been taken in the meeting.
“We discussed the seat-sharing. But no final decision has been taken. It will be decided in Delhi,” said Mahanta.
He stated that the final decision would be emerged by March 4.
“It is just preliminary discussion. We will have discussions with the national leadership,” said AGP president Atul Bora.
Meanwhile, Rajya Sabha MP Birendra Prasad Baishya said that his party would seek more seats to contest the upcoming polls.
“Definitely, we will seek more seats,” said the senior AGP leader.
It may be noted that in 2016, BJP scripted history and formed the government for the first time in the state ending Congress’s 15-year rule. BJP and its allies Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and Bodoland People’s Front (BPF) won a combined 86 seats in the 126-member Assam Assembly. BJP bagged 60 seats, AGP 14 and BPF 12 seats.
But, the BPF has recently parted away from the BJP and joined hands with the Congress-led grand alliance to fight the assembly polls.
