AGP, BJP to bargain for 108 seats

NEW DELHI, April 5: The first day of negotiations between the AGP and the BJP took off on a promising note, with the two sides exploring the possibility of working out a compromise formula to resolve the vexed seat sharing problem. Emerging from the talks that got underway in the morning, the BJP general secretary in-charge for Northeast, Sunil Shastri, said the contentious issue of seat arrangement was expected to be clinched shortly. The BJP leader expected to seal the alliance by tomorrow. The only outcome of the first two rounds of confabulations was that the two sides agreed to reserve 18 seats, including 13 for the Bodos and five for the Holiram Terang-led ASDC faction. The seats would be offered en-block to the two tribal groups, who would be fighting the polls as allies of the AGP and the BJP. Early this morning, the much awaited dialogue began in style with the two sides meeting at the posh Ashok Hotel. The breakfast meeting which started at 9.30 am concluded at 11.30 am before lunch. The negotiations were again resumed at 3.30 pm and continued till 5.30 pm. Sitting in the Nagaland suite of the Hotel, which recently hosted the Sankardev Award function, the two sides predictably were haggling over the seat sharing arrangement, with the BJP sticking to their demand for an equal share in distribution of seats. While in the first round, the two sides exchanged their respective viewpoint on the proposed alliance and the need to work out a common agenda, it was in the second round that they got down to brass tracks. According to the general secretary, the BJP made known their demand in the first round itself following which the AGP leaders proposed to break off for discussion among themselves. The BJP, it may be mentioned, has demanded a total number of 55 seats including the five already held by the party. The BJP team led by Shastri included the State unit president, Rajen Gohain, Minister of State for Water Resources, Bijoya Chakraborty, organisation secretary, V Satish among others. In the second round, the AGP team responded by making their stand clear. The AGP leader began by explaining under what circumstances they had been forced to align with the BJP to defeat their common opponent - the Congress party - and the resolution passed by the party's executive meeting supporting the alliance. The AGP leadership proposed that they discuss the seat sharing arrangement on a seat-by-seat basis. The AGP delegation included its six ministers and two party office bearers. The next round then broke-off on the note that the AGP leadership would give a reply to the BJP's proposal after consultation with the Chief Minister, Prafulla Kumar Mahanta. Later in the evening, the two sides met and began the long drawn process of discussion constituency-wise. According to informed sources the main area of differences between the two sides were over the benchmark that is to be taken as the basis of seat sharing arrangement. While the AGP contended that the election results of 1996 should be the basis of the seat sharing arrangement, the BJP side opposed it arguing that the 1999 election should be the benchmark as it were a more authentic and current reflection of the vote share. The problem for both was that if the BJP were to accept the regional party's formula then they might end up loosing too many seats for they had won only five seats in 1996. While the AGP's bargaining power would take a nose-dive if it accepted BJP's formula in 1999 polls, it ended up in third position in the overall majority of the seats. "We accept that the AGP is a force and it won 59 seats in 1996 on the basis of which it formed its government, but at the same time it also has to take into account that the BJP in Assam has grown, and in the 1999 elections we came first in 33 constituencies and second in 17," asserted Shastri. "If we are getting a few seats, the AGP also has to take note of the fact that it would be able to reap benefit of our support base in the State," he contended. Although the AGP did not specify the number of seats it was willing to offer to the BJP, it gave a broad hint by mentioning that it in 1996 polls they had left six seats for its allies including the CPI, CPI(M) and UPPA. In addition, there are three extra seats those held by Atul Bora, Bhrigu Kumar Phukan and Pulakesh Baruah, which were available, they indicated, sources said. A senior BJP leader said going by the progress of the negotiations they are confident of working out 80 per cent of the problem, for the rest of the 20 per cent of the seat sharing arrangement, the Assam Chief Minister and Union Home Minister have to sit and resolve. Meanwhile, BJP insider said they are willing to forge certain prominent seats including the Guwahati (East), represented by Biraj Kumar Sarma, but in exchange they would want seat like the Guwahati (West), which has a large Bengali Hindu population, who are traditional BJP supporters. The two sides left the issue of working out a common agenda and a common minimum programme for decision later tomorrow.