GUWAHATI: Assam BJP president Bhabesh Kalita, after taking stock of the organizational strength in several minority-inhabited lower Assam districts on Saturday, said the AGP and the BJP will fight the upcoming municipal polls together but left it to the district committees of the two parties to resolve the tussle for seats.
“Our alliance with the AGP for the upcoming municipal polls will be at the local level, not at the state level,” Kalita said. After touring Barpeta, Bajali and Bongaigaon districts on Saturday, he added that the BJP-led alliance will win all municipal bodies. He wished that the BJP allies are going to stay united from the root level, without giving space to dissidence, to keep the Congress and its allies at bay.
Kalita said BJP will have a smooth run in the municipal election and will perform better than the 2015 urban polls in the state, which had set the precedent of BJP’s resounding victory in the 2016 assembly election. “For the BJP, winning municipal election has been the easiest. We captured 90% municipal bodies before forming the government in Assam. Now, we have our government and a large number of MLAs. It’s going to be a massive win for the BJP,” Kalita added.
Even as sources in the BJP told TOI that the AGP wants to field candidates in 50% of the seats in the municipal bodies that fall in the constituencies represented by their (AGP) MLAs, Kalita, without mentioning the share, said some seats will be left for the AGP in those areas without any clash. In the constituencies where BJP has legislators, Kalita said BJP will keep most of the seats with them.
The source earlier said that apart from “putting pressure” on the BJP for 50% seats in the municipalities where AGP has MLAs, in several other areas, the regional party wants 30% seats. “The main reason behind pushing the decision to the district committees is the inability of the BJP’s state leadership to convince its voters who want to fight alone in almost all municipal bodies. But we want to keep our allies satisfied,” the source said.
The AGP has expedited its activities in the urban areas which is set to go to polls by March-end. AGP spokesperson Manoj Saikia said the regional party wants seat adjustment in all constituencies. “Since we will have to give some seats to the BJP in the constituencies where we have MLAs, AGP is also eyeing certain number of seats in all municipal bodies across the state. After all, the party strength in municipalities and panchayats is going to be the key in the next Lok Sabha and assembly polls,” he said.
The AGP has already constituted a state-level committee for the upcoming municipal polls under the chairmanship of senior leader Phani Bhusan Choudhury where West Guwahati MLA Ramendra Narayan Kalita is the convener.
In greater Guwahati, West Guwahati is the only seat where AGP has an MLA. In the Guwahati Municipal Corporation election, AGP is likely to claim candidature in maximum seats under West Guwahati.
“Our alliance with the AGP for the upcoming municipal polls will be at the local level, not at the state level,” Kalita said. After touring Barpeta, Bajali and Bongaigaon districts on Saturday, he added that the BJP-led alliance will win all municipal bodies. He wished that the BJP allies are going to stay united from the root level, without giving space to dissidence, to keep the Congress and its allies at bay.
Kalita said BJP will have a smooth run in the municipal election and will perform better than the 2015 urban polls in the state, which had set the precedent of BJP’s resounding victory in the 2016 assembly election. “For the BJP, winning municipal election has been the easiest. We captured 90% municipal bodies before forming the government in Assam. Now, we have our government and a large number of MLAs. It’s going to be a massive win for the BJP,” Kalita added.
Even as sources in the BJP told TOI that the AGP wants to field candidates in 50% of the seats in the municipal bodies that fall in the constituencies represented by their (AGP) MLAs, Kalita, without mentioning the share, said some seats will be left for the AGP in those areas without any clash. In the constituencies where BJP has legislators, Kalita said BJP will keep most of the seats with them.
The source earlier said that apart from “putting pressure” on the BJP for 50% seats in the municipalities where AGP has MLAs, in several other areas, the regional party wants 30% seats. “The main reason behind pushing the decision to the district committees is the inability of the BJP’s state leadership to convince its voters who want to fight alone in almost all municipal bodies. But we want to keep our allies satisfied,” the source said.
The AGP has expedited its activities in the urban areas which is set to go to polls by March-end. AGP spokesperson Manoj Saikia said the regional party wants seat adjustment in all constituencies. “Since we will have to give some seats to the BJP in the constituencies where we have MLAs, AGP is also eyeing certain number of seats in all municipal bodies across the state. After all, the party strength in municipalities and panchayats is going to be the key in the next Lok Sabha and assembly polls,” he said.
The AGP has already constituted a state-level committee for the upcoming municipal polls under the chairmanship of senior leader Phani Bhusan Choudhury where West Guwahati MLA Ramendra Narayan Kalita is the convener.
In greater Guwahati, West Guwahati is the only seat where AGP has an MLA. In the Guwahati Municipal Corporation election, AGP is likely to claim candidature in maximum seats under West Guwahati.
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