Fissures within alliance may spoil party for BJP in Assam

If the indications emanating from polling of two of the Rajya Sabha seats in state are anything to go by, where Congress virtually had a cakewalk with its two candidates getting elected for the upper house but, the manner in which the independent third candidate businessman Mahavir Jain, supported by Bodo Peoples Front, an ally of BJP, in the upcoming Assembly elections withdrew himself from the race at the last moment left many questions unanswered. 

Jain claimed to enjoy support of BJP and Asom Gana Parishad MLAs, besides BPF, and dissident Congress. But surprisingly on the day of polls BPF chief Hagrama Mohillary accused him of being hand in glove with Congress and abstained from voting. AGP and Bharatiya Janata Party members followed suit. However, one dissident MLA from BJP voted in the polls overlooking the whip issued by his party. 

Both BJP and AGP have maintained a stoic silence on the Rajya Sabha polls, which analysts considered has given a shot in the arm of Congress just weeks ahead of the twophase assembly election. Assam is, by all accounts, the only one among the four states and Union Territory going to the polls in April-May where the BJP has a realistic chance of winning power. 

Taking a lead, the party has proceeded to stitch up alliances with local players to form a rainbow coalition. In January, it tied up with the Hagrama Mohilary-led Bodoland People’s Front, but the big one was pre-poll alliance with the Asom Gana Parishad. 

BJP MPs from the state took to social media criticising the central leadership move to tie up with a party which is not even a shadow of its former glory. Upset over the central leadership not heeding inputs from the grassroots, two BJP leaders, Sankar Prasad Ray, the previous president of the All-Assam Students’ Union who had joined the party only  last September, and Sabda Ram Rabha joined the Congress on March 8. 

There was greater disquiet on the other side, with AGP vice-president Durga Das Boro walking out into the Congress fold. A faction in BJP against the alliance formed a new party named Trinamool BJP.