AGP, ABSU heading for poll alliance

GUWAHATI, March 25: Keeping aside old enmity, Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and All Bodo Students' Union (ABSU) are heading for an electoral alliance. The leadership of both the parties have completed three rounds of parleys on seat sharing. Though the final picture is yet to emerge, it is learnt that ABSU has sought 18 seats. According to AGP sources ABSU is the hot favourite among the political groups this time in view of its growing strong base in several pockets of lower Assam districts. On the other hand, after the announcement of ceasefire against Bodoland Liberation Tiger (BLT), the ABSU leaders are keen to form an alliance with the AGP in a bid to solve the perennial insurgency problem. It is also learnt that the AGP MLAs of lower Assam districts including State Social Welfare Minister, Rekharani Das Boro are pressurising the party president and Chief Minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta to go for seat sharing to achieve desired results in the forthcoming election. The strategy lies on the fact that their constituencies are dominated by the Bodo voters. Since Bodo votes play a key role in the election result, the MLAs are of the view that without an alliance with ABSU, there is no possibility of retaining these seats. But, main problem is that, ABSU has demanded three vital seats - Bongaigaon, Barama and Sootea where AGP's position is slightly better compared to other constituencies of the State. Moreover, Phani Bhushan Choudhury has been winning from the Bongaigaon constituency since 1985 so the AGP does not want to share this seat with ABSU. In spite of the problem, both the leadership of AGP and ABSU is understood to have agreed to find an alternative in the greater interest of the people. Highly - placed AGP sources informed that discussions are going on smoothly and a final decision would be taken very soon. "ABSU leaders have shown keen interest to form an electoral pact with the AGP and hence we are optimistic that a concrete result will definitely come out," sources added. Sources also revealed that instead of 'big parties,' AGP is making efforts to form alliance with small political groups in order to uphold regionalism.