Former Assam Chief Minister and Founder President of Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) Prafulla Kumar Mahanta

Former Assam chief minister and Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) founder president Prafulla Kumar Mahanta is all set to join hands with the grand alliance led by Congress in the state assembly elections.

Mahanta, who has been winning from Barhampur constituency in Nagaon since 1991, may not get an AGP ticket to contest the seat this election as AGP’s ally BJP is all set to contest the seat.

Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal, BJP state president Ranjeet Kumar Dass and minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, besides the AGP leadership, were in New Delhi to discuss the seat-sharing for the Assam assembly elections.

Following the development, it is learnt that Prafulla Kumar Mahanta will contest from his constituency under the banner of AGP (Progressive), a breakaway faction of the AGP led by Mahanta himself.

Local media reports said that Prafulla Kumar Mahanta and a few of the faction will contest in at least 15 constituencies and will join hands with the grand alliance which also includes All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF), Bodoland People’s Front (BPF) and the Left parties among others.

AGP has 13 seats in the current assembly and it is learnt that some of the sitting MLAs of the regional party will not get tickets and these seats will be left for the candidates of BJP as per their seat-sharing understanding.

Mahanta’s anti-CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act) stand even after the BJP-AGP alliance has increased the gap between him and the party leadership and the current AGP leadership is believed to be willing to get rid of the former CM by offering his constituency to the BJP.

Elections in Assam will take place in three phases from March 27.

Subscribe to our Newsletter


Avatar photo
About TNM NewsDesk

-

The News Mill is a Guwahati-based digital media with focus on content from across Northeast India and beyond. We can be reached through [email protected]