Seat-sharing talks with AGP over, says Assam CM; friction surfaces in key seats

Guwahati, March 12: With the Assam Assembly elections just days away, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), on Thursday, said seat-sharing discussions with its National Democratic Alliance (NDA) ally, the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), have been finalised, even as signs of friction continue to surface in several constituencies.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the BJP had concluded its negotiations with the regional party and conveyed the final arrangement to the AGP leadership.

“Our discussions with the AGP leadership are over. We have finalised the seat-sharing arrangement and communicated it to them,” Sarma told the press on the sidelines of an event in Khanapara.

However, the Chief Minister acknowledged that in some constituencies both parties might field candidates, describing such situations as “friendly contests”.

“If there is any clash of seats between the two parties, we will handle it as a friendly contest,” he said.

While the BJP and AGP continue to project unity within the NDA, tensions have been brewing in several constituencies where local leaders and workers of the regional party have expressed dissatisfaction over the seat allocation.

The friction has become particularly visible in three constituencies such as Dergaon and Khumtai in Golaghat district, and Barhampur in Nagaon district; all considered politically significant for the AGP.

In Dergaon, tensions escalated after Sarma indicated that the BJP may field its own candidate from the seat and suggested that the party was open to a friendly contest with the AGP.

The Dergaon (SC) constituency is currently represented by the AGP. In the 2021 Assembly elections, AGP candidate Bhabendra Nath Bharali won the seat with 64,043 votes, securing about 48% of the vote share. However, the BJP is now looking to strengthen its position in the constituency.

In neighbouring Khumtai, grassroots AGP workers have demanded that the seat be allotted to their party instead of the BJP.

Local AGP leaders claim the regional party enjoys strong organisational support in the constituency and say cadres feel sidelined despite their long association with the alliance.

A similar sentiment has emerged in Barhampur, where AGP leaders have publicly demanded that the seat be returned to the party.

Barhampur has long been associated with the AGP and carries emotional significance for the regional party, having twice elected former Chief Minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta.

AGP leader Manimadhav Mahanta said the seat was ceded to the BJP in the previous election due to health issues faced by the party’s candidate.

Despite the growing disquiet at the grassroots level, AGP leaders have reiterated that the party remains committed to the BJP–AGP alliance.

However, with electoral preparations intensifying and candidate announcements expected soon, the unresolved tensions in a few key constituencies could test the cohesion of the NDA in Assam in the run-up to the polls.