Hoping for good seat-sharing deal with BJP: AGP president

Guwahati: Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) president Atul Bora on Tuesday said with the poll schedule expected by mid-March, the party will focus on seats where it has winning chances, even though alliance talks are not official yet.In the 2016 assembly polls, AGP contested 31 seats as a BJP ally and won 14; in 2021, it contested 29 and won 9. BJP sources indicated that AGP may receive fewer seats this time, though Bora said he was hoping for “something good”.After several youth leaders from different districts joined AGP, Bora said he expected an earlier election. However, citing the recent visit of the Election Commission of India team to Assam, he said, “We are expecting that towards the end of the second week (of March), the election may be announced. Even after that, we will get 24 days’ time (till election). We already mentioned that AGP will contest the election as an alliance, though official talks are yet to be held with our allies.”With pressure from senior leaders associated with the party since its formation, including Kamala Kanta Kalita and Ramendra Narayan Kalita, demanding seats of their choice, Bora said the party cannot confirm constituencies for AGP candidates before formal talks with BJP.Former Dibrugarh University student union general secretary Arindam Buragohain, along with many student-union leaders and more than 100 youths from different Assam constituencies, joined AGP on Tuesday.