AGP,BJP and BPF to Fight Lok Sabha Polls Together

Guwahati: The Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Bodoland Peoples' Front (BPF) to fight Lok Sabha polls together.

A special meeting will be held today at Dispur after which three AGP ministers Atul Bora, Keshab Mahanta and Phanibhushan Choudhury will move to Janata Bhawan. The three ministers will move to Janata Bhawan for an understanding with the BJP for receiving a Rajya Sabha seat.

According to sources, another meeting will be held on March 15 to get a Lok Sabha seat.

It has further been informed by the source that AGP will have 3 seats, BJP 10 seats while BPF will contest in 1 seat. The alliance is now targeting 12 of the total 14 seats.

The decision of the alliance has come after a late night discussion on Tuesday where the majority of the AGP leaders feel that an alliance with the BJP was the sole change of keeping the party afloat. On the other hand, the grass root level supporters felt that the regional party AGP has surrendered.

The AGP has been offered seats for Koliabor, Barpeta and Dhubri but the party wants seats in either Guwahati or Mangaldoi or a Rajya Sabha seat for the next June election.

A meeting was held at Hotel Radisson Blu between AGP and BJP in the presence of National General Secretary in-charge of Northeast, BJP Ram Madhav on Tuesday.

In Koliabor Moni Madhab Mahanta will contest while in Barpeta Bhupen Ray or Kumar Deepak will contest for the regional party. The AGP is not so keen on Dhubri but they are keen in either Guwahati or Mangaldoi and the fate of the last seat will be announced by next week.

Meanwhile, the three AGP ministers have returned to the Ministry who have earlier resigned in protest against the controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016.

Allegedly, the AGP does not have the resources to fight the poll alone and that if they cannot win a single seat the party will be nowhere in the state politics for which they have come with a decision to make the alliance with BJP.

Ram Madhav tweeted after the discussion, "After discussion, BJP and AGP have decided to work together in the coming Parliament election in Assam to defeat Congress. Announced it at Guwahati in the presence of Himanta Biswa Sarma of BJP and Atul Bora and Keshav Mahanta of AGP. BPF will be the 3rd partner in the alliance."

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