Congress to go it alone in Assam

After failing to cobble a strategic alliance with the All-India United Democratic Front and regional Asom Gana Parishad, octogenarian Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi claimed that his party has decided to go alone in the forthcoming Assembly elections in Assam.

Mr Gogoi said, “We will not have seat-sharing with anybody. I have always been stating that we will not enter into any seat-sharing arrangement. Earlier, I had spoken of having ‘understanding’ (among non-BJP parties). Now we are not even going for that too.”

Though Mr Gogoi was the first to float the idea of cobbling an alliance of non-BJP parties following the pattern of Bihar, there was no taker in Assam as stalwarts of the regional AGP like ex-chief minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta had rejected this strategically-wise move of Mr Gogoi to enhance the acceptability of the ruling Congress party.

There have been some fringe elements in the AGP which supported the idea but the thinktank and senior leadership of the AGP had outright rejected it.

The AIUDF, which has emerged as the champion of minorities in Assam since its inception in 2005, was soft to Mr Gogoi’s proposal but wanted a heavy return in exchange.