AGP banks on agro-economy & rural dev in alliance with BJP for Panchayat polls

Guwahati, April 18: Development of a viable agro-based economy, improvement in rural infrastructure, and success of the government's flagship programmes will be among the major poll planks of junior NDA constituent Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) in the forthcoming panchayat polls.

In an interaction with The Assam Tribune on Wednesday, AGP vice president Apurba Kumar Bhattacharjee asserted that the 'smooth' seat-sharing arrangement managed by the regional party and its senior partner, BJP, will prevent fragmentation of the ruling alliance's votes.

The BJP and the AGP have for the first time entered into a formal State-wide alliance for panchayat elections.

"The incumbent Himanta Biswa Sarma-led party has delivered on the ground. State BJP president Dilip Saikia and AGP president Atul Bora are working together to bring the two parties even closer. In contrast, the opposition is in disarray," Bhattacharjee said.

The AGP has stepped up its campaign for the panchayat elections.

"We are going to highlight the vision of the State government and its success in bringing development to Assam, including the rural areas, in our campaign. The emphasis will be on proper implementation of schemes so that not even a single genuine beneficiary is deprived. We are also going to present a vision for a sustainable agro-based economy, job creation at the local level, improvement of rural infrastructure, including health, education, provision of drinking water and sanitation, irrigation, power supply, connectivity and rural communication, besides development of rural tourism," Bhattacharjee said.

He expressed confidence about the NDA sweeping the polls.

"The opposition is fractured, while the NDA is united. It will benefit us by keeping our vote base intact. The performance of the State government is another positive aspect for us. We have succeeded in establishing a connection with the elector-ate. The Congress and other opposition outfits are merely engaged in the politics of criticism without offering an alternative vision for the rural areas," said the senior AGP leader.

The AGP held detailed deliberations from the booth to the State level and sought the opinion of its rank and file before firming up the alliance with the BJP for the panchayat polls, he added.

"The party members at all levels unanimously supported the idea of having a formal seat-sharing arrangement with the BJP. The alliance was not imposed unilaterally by the party leadership. The AGP has a history of engaging in alliance politics, and we got good results from this practice during the last two Assembly elections. On the other hand, in the 2018 panchayat polls, we contested on our own and the outcome was not satisfactory. The panchayat polls are the best mechanism for testing the vibrancy of the tie-up at the local level. All constituents of a bloc benefit from a sustainable alliance," Bhattacharjee said.

He added, "The decision is already proving to be a wise one. The coordination between the two parties has been noticeable. The BJP and the AGP have already won a number of Anchalik Panchayat (AP) and Zila Parishad (ZP) seats uncontested."

The AGP leader claimed that the NDA has been able to make inroads among the electorate belonging to the Muslim community this time.

The regional party has formed an election management committee at the State level for the panchayat polls under the chairmanship of AGP working president and Minister Keshab Mahanta. Likewise, committees have also been constituted at the Lok Sabha constituency and district levels as well.