On a visit to Assam, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday met with the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) leadership in Guwahati. During the meeting at the Koinadhara state guest house, the seat-sharing formula between AGP and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), partners in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), is said to be taken up for discussion.
AGP president Atul Bora, speaking after the meeting, told reporters, “Today we held discussions with Union Home Minister Amit Shah. He has always respected the alliance partners. We have already held talks with Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.”
Bora, however, said that the final call will come after a BJP parliamentary committee meeting on March 17 (Tuesday). He said, “On March 17, there will be a BJP parliamentary committee meeting after which the final decision will be taken,” adding that the talks with Shah today went very well.
Notably, the meeting today was attended by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and state BJP president Dilip Saikia, while AGP were represented by Atul Bora and working president Keshab Mahanta.
What Happened?
Earlier, Bora, while contradicting the Assam Chief Minister’s claims, said that a seat-sharing arrangement for the NDA had not been agreed upon, leaving behind a hint of friction between the AGP and BJP. His comments came after Himanta Biswa Sarma had stated that an agreement with the AGP and Bodoland People’s Front (BPF) had been finalised, awaiting final clearance from the BJP’s central leadership.