Two Assam parties likely to forge alliance

GUWAHATI - Assam is bound to witness some major realignment of forces ahead of the 2011 assembly polls with the Asom United Democratic Front (AUDF) and the Bodo People’s Progressive Front (BPPF) sending strong signals for forging an alliance.

The AUDF, with 11 MLAs in the 126-member legislature, is considered an important player in Assam politics after the main opposition Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) snapped their year-long electoral tie up last week.

“We are keeping our options open and not ruling out possibilities of allying with any secular parties, minus the Congress and the BJP,” AUDF president Badruddin Ajmal told IANS.

“But as things stands now, we are going alone, although anything is possible in politics.”

The AGP, after its break up with the BJP, is scouting for allies - potential among them being the AUDF, the BPPF, and the Left parties.

“We are trying to assess the political scene very closely and then only decide on allying with someone,” BPPF president Rabiram Narzary said.

“But we had friendly equations with the AUDF in the past.”

The AGP and the BJP have openly said teaming up with the BPPF was not ruled out - although the BPPF does not have a single MLA in the present assembly.

“We are already talking informally with the BPPF and maybe we can work out an understanding,” BJP Assam unit president Ranjit Dutta said.

The AGP and BJP fought the 2009 parliamentary elections together under a seat sharing arrangement. The regional party fared poorly - it won just one of the 14 Lok Sabha seats, down by one compared to the 2004 general elections.

The AGP in 2001 assembly elections had a tie up with the BJP but was routed by the Congress.

While the two main opposition parties - the AGP and the BJP - decided to sever ties, the cracks within the opposition has widened with the Congress camp naturally jubilant.

“The opposition parties must take a lesson from the past elections and hence the need to unite to challenge the Congress party,” said Dhrupad Borgohain, a former MP belonging to the Communist Party of India.

Amid the political rumblings, Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi said the Congress party was all set for a hat-trick by winning the 2011 polls.

“The AGP is down and out and there is no way the party can bounce back. Moreover, the AUDF and the BJP are parties with communal overtones, and the people of Assam are going to reject them,” a senior Congress party leader said.

“There could be a realignment of forces, but we are not worried.”