2026 Assam polls: Kaliabor seat row brings BJP–AGP tensions to fore
Closed-door meetings signal BJP bid for Kaliabor, as AGP warns alliance strain before state polls
A file image of CM Sarma with Kaliabor MLA Keshab Mahanta during a roadshow in Kaliabor in 2021. (Photo:@BJP4Assam/X)
Guwahati, Dec 18: Though the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has kept seat-sharing arrangements for the 2026 Assembly elections under wraps, political tension has resurfaced within the alliance in Kaliabor, particularly between the BJP and the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP).
In both the 2016 and 2021 Assembly elections, the Kaliabor constituency was allotted to the AGP. However, BJP workers in the area are now demanding that the seat be contested by the BJP in 2026.
To deliberate on the issue, party workers have reportedly been holding closed-door meetings in Lailuri, Misa, Anjukpani and several other locations.
“Currently, we are thinking of conveying to the party that the AGP has received the Kaliabor constituency twice. In 2026, at least, we want it to be allotted to the BJP. We will approach the party leadership and wait for the final decision,” a BJP worker told The Assam Tribune, on Thursday.
On the 2026 elections, the worker added that the Saffron party was fully geared up for the upcoming Assembly polls across Assam.
“Under the guidance of the central and state leadership, we are strengthening the party at the booth level. Meetings are being held regularly to ensure organisational preparedness,” the worker said.
This is not the first instance of friction between the two alliance partners. Earlier this month, on December 13, the AGP sent an early political signal ahead of the 2026 elections when its Nalbari district unit warned that the party could contest independently if it is denied a seat in the Nalbari constituency.
The message was conveyed during a district-level meeting held at Nagen Sharma Bhawan in Nalbari, chaired by AGP Nalbari District Committee president Anand Rajbongshi.
Addressing the meeting, Rajbongshi said two clear resolutions were adopted. “We have decided on two major proposals. First, to prepare for an independent contest and second, if there is an alliance with the BJP, the AGP must be allotted at least one seat in Nalbari,” he said.