Now, BJP mulls 'friendly' with regional ally

Guwahati: Taking a cue from its poll partner Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), which declared 'friendly' contests with BJP in six constituencies over and above the 24 seats assigned to it, the saffron party said it might contest West Guwahati, one of the 24 seats it had given away to AGP.
Under the proposed seat-sharing arrangement, BJP was to contest 90 seats, Bodoland People's Front, 12, and AGP was supposed to contest 24.Later, AGP said it would also field candidates from Hajo, Kalaigaon, Mahmora, Naoboisa, Algapur and Goalpara West.
"The BJP has a good chance of winning West Guwahati. Our workers want a BJP candidate from the constituency. This will energize them," said the party's general secretary Vijay Kumar Gupta.
The AGP has already announced Ramendra Narayan Kalita as its candidate from the constituency.
President of AGP Atul Bora on Tuesday defended the party's decision to go beyond the proposed seat allotment. "We want to establish an anti-Congress government. We tied up with BJP to defeat Congress. That's why we had to take certain decisions," he said.
Though BJP has not officially accepted AGP's decision, it has decided to refrain from expressing disapproval with the polls drawing close. To send a message that all is well in the alliance, BJP's chief ministerial candidate Sarbananda Sonowal shared the dais with senior AGP leaders Bora and Keshab Mahanta at an election rally in Majuli on Wednesday. Recently, ex-AGP president and former chief minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta campaigned jointly with BJP MP Rajen Gogain in Nagaon.