CM Himanta Biswa Sarma said the BJP-AGP alliance will be formally sealed within the next one or two days
He added that the saffron party is also expected to finalise its understanding with the Hagrama Mohilary-led Bodoland Peoples’ Front by the end of the day, as BJP moves to consolidate regional partners ahead of the polls.
The CM said Congress leaders Kamalakhya Dey Purkayastha of Karimganj North assembly constituency, Sashikanta Das of Raha constituency and Basanta Das of Mangaldoi (SC) constituency will join BJP on Thursday.
The CM said, “We have completed the talks with the Rabha Hasong Joutha Mancha regarding the alliance for the upcoming assembly polls. On the other hand, we are expecting to finalise the alliance with the Hagrama Mohilary-led Bodoland Peoples’ Front by tonight.
However, the alliance with AGP will be formally sealed within the next one or two days. ”
Earlier, Sarma said BJP will contest the assembly elections in alliance with AGP wherever feasible, and will opt for friendly contests in seats that neither party can give up.
He had said it was absolutely good if the election is contested in a 100% alliance, but BJP does not have any objection to a friendly contest in any seat which AGP also wants to contest.
AGP is an existing key ally of the BJP in the government.
The scheduled joining of Sashikanta Das, Kamalakhya Dey Purkayastha and Basanta Das comes days after former Congress state president Bhupen Borah’s joining the saffron party on Feb 22, a move that had been speculated for the last one year.
On the three leaders set to join on Thursday, Sarma had said on Feb 16 that they had been expressing their intention to resign from the Congress and join BJP for a long time, but he had asked them to wait in view of the elections for three Rajya Sabha seats from Assam.
The development echoes past defections, including Sashikanta Das’s controversial 2021 support for Sarma’s govt despite his Congress badge, highlighting ongoing realignments in Assam’s political landscape.
Three Assam Rajya Sabha seats are due to retire on April 9 as BJP MPs Bhubaeswar Kalita and Rameswar Teli and Anchalik Gana Morcha MP Ajit Kumar Bhuyan’s tenure will end, requiring elections beforehand, likely by early April to comply with legal deadlines.
Separately, Abdur Rashid Mandal, who represented Goalpara West in 2006, 2016 and 2021 on a Congress ticket, officially joined the Sivasagar MLA Akhil Gogoi-led Raijor Dal, along with Baghbar MLA Sherman Ali Ahmed, who was first elected in 2011 on an AIUDF ticket before switching to the Congress and winning from Baghbar in 2016 and 2021.
