When the electoral alliance becomes a reality (also most essential) in Indian politics, the recent outburst of a section of Assam Congress leaders against a pre-poll tie-up between Asom Gana Parishad and Bharatiya Janata Party turn amazing. In fact, the regional political party of Assam, the AGP suddenly emerges as an important rival for the ruling Congress after the electoral alliance was formally announced in the first week of March.
Critical comments have not only come from the ordinary Congress leaders, but also from the State chief minister Tarun Gogoi himself. The influential minister of the Gogoi’s cabinet, HB Sarma condemned the understanding between AGP and BJP as a shame for the regional politics, where as another minister P Bordoloi termed it an unsuccessful relationship.
Gogoi went on disclosing that the AGP had damaged the future of regional politics (making relationship with the communal BJP) in Assam. He also asserted that after ‘surrendering’ to the BJP in the name of electoral alliance the AGP had lost its image of a credible regional party.
Mentionable that, the chief minister though admitted that the electoral tie-up of AGP-BJP would be a factor in the polls, claimed that it would be easier for the Congress to gain in the elections (as the two betrayers AGP-BJP had come together).
The outbursts of the Congress leaders were hit back by the newly elected AGP president CM Patowary saying, “I am surprised why the Congress leaders including Gogoi become so vocal on the issue. It is absolutely our preference and decision. Gogoi and his ministerial colleagues should rather concentrate on their strategies for the polls.
The five-phased Lok Sabha polls (between April 16 and May 13) have already been declared by the Election Commission of India. In Assam, the electorates will have the opportunity cast their votes on April 16 & 23. The revised electoral rolls identify 17,468, 958 voters eligible for exercising their franchises to form the 15th Lok Sabha (the lower house of Indian Parliament).
The State BJP chief Ramen Deka also expressed optimism that the AGP-BJP alliance would drastically reduce the division of anti-Congress votes (read indigenous Assamese) in the State and finally it would result in favour of both the parties. As the two important opposition parties fought separately in 2004 polls, the anti-Congress votes were simply divided. Now there should emerge a real different equation, Deka added.
The Statesman, a mainstream Indian national newspaper editorialized the issue of AGP-BJP alliance saying, “The welcome change of understanding being that in the Lok Sabha elections the BJP will be the senior partner with more seats and, in the 2011 assembly elections, the AGP will have the greater say.”
It also added that ‘in the 2004 elections, the BJP fielded well-known Assamese singer Bhupen Hazarika for the Guwahati seat and the AGP’s gamble to field Bhrigu Phukan (since deceased) against him did not pay off’, but ‘if the percentage of votes ~ a total of 42 ~ that the AGP and BJP polled in the last parliamentary elections is any indication, their electoral prospects this time around seem better’.
“Besides, both parties did improve their position in the 2006 assembly elections while the Congress tally fell from 73 to 53. Ideologically there is nothing in common between the AGP and BJP, their main objective being to avert a three-way split in the vote since they both share the same source base and to humiliate the ruling party ----. Now that the AGP is one entity ~ the breakaway groups have returned to the fold ~ it should do well,” the editorial concluded.
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