AGP Seat Sharing with BJP Not Finalised Yet: Atul Bora

Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) president and Assam cabinet minister Atul Bora on Monday hinted at friction within the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in Assam, saying that the seat-sharing arrangement with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is yet to be finalised.

Bora, who presided over the formal joining of ex-All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) vice-president and sitting Sonai MLA Karim Uddin Barbhuiya in Guwahati today, spoke to the media afterwards.

Contradicting CM

Going against earlier claims of Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, he said, “The seat-sharing arrangement with the BJP has not been finalised yet. We have sought some constituencies where the BJP has MLAs. They have also sought some of the seats where we project ourselves as winning.”

However, playing down any talk of rift, Bora said, “Where there is friendship, some bitterness is inevitable. If someone is speaking about a particular number [of seats], we will not talk about it. We have our own style.”

Meanwhile, in a sharp retort to a question on senior party leader Ramendra Narayan Kalita’s candidacy, Bora said, “What is the use of talking about seats to you [journalists]? We think about him more than journalists.”

What Himanta Biswa Sarma Said

Notably, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had previously said that a friendship agreement with AGP and Bodoland People’s Front (BPF) had been finalized awaiting approval from the BJP’s central leadership.

Speaking to the media about it on March 5, Sarma said, “Last night, we completed our negotiations with the Asom Gana Parishad, the Bodoland People’s Front and the Rabha Hasong Joutha Mancha. So, as far as the NDA is concerned, our discussion and negotiations on seat sharing are now complete.”

While not divulging the exact number of seats that were allotted to the alliance partners to contest, Sarma had said that the AGP will get around the same number of seats as in the last elections.

“For the AGP, it will be the same, maybe one or two seats are more or less; there was no pressure or problem for us. With BPF also, we have had a good understanding,” he had said.

Also read: Friendship Agreement With AGP, BPF Finalised: Assam CM