It’s now official. The AGP and the BJP, alliance partners at Dispur, will fight the two-phase panchayat elections separately. The decision, taken at a meeting at the chief minister’s official residence at the Brahmaputra Guest House in Guwahati last evening, was announced by Assam Finance, Health and PWD Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.
Sarma said although the State BJP was in favour of a tie-up with the AGP, the district party units were averse to any truck with the regional party and hence the State leadership decided against tying up with their alliance partners at Dispur.
The BJP will, however, tie-up with its smaller alliance partners like the Gana Shakti, Tiwa Jatiya Aikya Mancha and the Rabha Aikya Mancha. In fact, Gana Shakti candidates will contest the two-phase elections to be held on Dec 5 & 9 on BJP’s party symbol, Himanta Biswa Sarma announced after the meeting.
#BREAKING | BJP won't tie-up with AGP in the upcoming Panchayat elections but will fight the polls together with smaller parties like Gana Shakti etc, announces @himantabiswa. He also announced that #BJP will finalise its list of candidates by tonight. pic.twitter.com/52lIXxbHZB
— NEWS LIVE (@NewsLiveGhy) November 12, 2018
He also claimed that the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016, that has led to a furore in the State will have no bearing on the outcome of the elections and that the results will be on the lines of the 2016 assembly poll outcome.
#BREAKING | The citizenship bill issue will have no impact on the BJP's performance in the panchayat elections, we will perform very well in the polls: @himantabiswa pic.twitter.com/MtDmBDqTqy
— NEWS LIVE (@NewsLiveGhy) November 12, 2018
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Grassroots-level BJP workers, meanwhile, welcomed the decision taken by the party leadership not to forge an alliance with the AGP and exuded confidence of doing exceedingly well in the hustings.
AGP activists, too, echoed similar views.
