JOIN USIt's all about alliances in Assam Assembly elections slated in April-May
The next Assembly elections in Assam slated in April-May is poised for a fight among alliances.
The Opposition Congress on Tuesday stitched a "grand alliance" with five other parties comprising Badruddin Ajmal-led All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF), left parties and another new regional force to fight the ruling BJP and its regional allies, AGP and United People's Party Liberal (UPPL). Assam Jatiya Parishad and Akhil Gogoi-led Raijor Dal, two newly floated regional parties, however, decided not to join the grand alliance and instead fight elections together against both Congress and BJP.
BJP decided to renew its alliance with AGP but is likely to replace Bodoland People's Front (BPF) with United People's Party Liberal (UPPL), with which it joined hands in the Bodoland Territorial Council held in December. Both BJP and UPPL formed the new council together.
In 2016, BJP had formed a pre-poll alliance with BPF and AGP and wrested power from Tarun Gogoi-led Congress government. Congress, on the other hand had contested alone and bagged only 26 of 126 seats. AIUDF won 13 seats.
Announcing the "grand alliance" in Guwahati on Tuesday, president of Assam Pradesh Congress Committee, Ripun Bora hoped that unity of the opposition parties would stop BJP's run. "People of Assam are very angry with BJP for the CAA, NRC and failure to fulfill the promises it made in 2016. I want to appeal to all anti-BJP partie to join hands now and contest elections together to stop BJP," Bora said in an apparent appeal to AJP and Raijor Dal. The two new regional forces, which came into being out of the anti-CAA agitation, however, rejected the offer saying AIUDF was a communal party.
Political observers feel that the anti-CAA votes would get divided if all the Opposition parties are not united and thereby help BJP and its allies.
BJP's state unit president, Rajeet Kumar Dass said the "grand alliance" would have no impact on the target of winning more than 100 seats BJP and its allies set in the ensuing polls. "Congress has forged an unholly alliance with the communal party AIUDF. This will, in fact, help BJP more in upper Assam constituencies such as Golaghat, Titabor (Tarun Gogoi's constituency), Naoboisa, Sarupathar, Doomdooma, Sivasagar, Mariani and Nazira. Even this time, the minorities (Muslims) will give consciene votes in favour of BJP," Das said. Congress and AIUDF candidates were elected from the eight constituencies in 2016.
No CM face announced yet:
Although it is expected that BJP would project Sarbananda Sonowal again as the Chief Ministerial candidate, the "grand alliance" of the Opposition parties is yet to name their CM candidate on Tuesday.
The AIUDF had earlier publicly announced that the CM candidate of the alliance would be projected from Congress, sources said the same could not be done due to factionlism within the grand old party. The factionalism deepened after Tarun Gogoi's demise in November, sources claimed.