Face of young Assam once, Mahanta bets on BJP in comeback bid

BARHAMPUR (Nagaon): Prafulla Mahanta, often referred to as the fading star of Assam’s politics, represents this seat. He has in fact been MLA here since 1991. Even in his worst days, this constituency of 159,829 people hasn’t ditched him.

Off NH-37, a road sprints off to Barhampur in Nagaon district. An impressive gate, concrete elephants standing guard on either side, welcomes visitors to the constituency of this two-term former CM.

Driving down the 16-km road connecting the area to central Assam, the ride turns bumpy.

In 1995, Mahanta (64) became one of the youngest CMs of his time after AGP came to office on the crest of a stunning electoral victory. Ever since, there have been many ups and downs in his 30 years as a politician.

His years as the spearhead of the Assam Agitation in the 1980s were turbulent and culminated in the signing of an accord between students and the Centre. Mahanta had led the movement as president of the All Assam Students’ Union. This also resulted in the birth of the state’s first regional party, AGP, of which Mahanta was founder president.

But the 1985 euphoria soon fizzled out. The huge mandate Mahanta won was for freeing Assam of illegal Bangladeshi migrants. But AGP failed to live up to those expectations. During his tenure as CM from 1985 to 1990 and again from 1996 to 2001, he struggled to deal with Ulfa militancy, corruption charges, internal dissent which led to a split in the AGP. Mahanta floated the AGP (Progressive) after breaking away from the parent party. In 2008, he merged it with AGP again.

Though Mahanta couldn’t be contacted, his aide Dhrubajyoti Sarma said: “The Congress kept raising allegations against Mahanta but couldn’t do anything. That’s because Mahanta still enjoys the people’s trust. He’s still an important political personality in the state.”

In fact, Mahanta holds the distinction of becoming one of the longest-serving legislators from a single constituency in the country. But this election will be a test of his relevance in state politics.

If the BJP-AGP-Bodoland People’s Front (BPF) combine forms government, his role as former twotime CM in the new dispensation will be of interest. AGP insiders say he was reluctant to have BJP as an ally. This assembly election will also decide whether Barhampur voters give him another chance or opt for Congress candidate Suresh Bora. In 2011, Bora had emerged the runner-up. “Mahanta’s long tenure has created anti-incumbency. This election will be a test of his winnability,” says Bibekananda Saikia, a political analyst.