Assam: Opinion split on CM candidate

The alliance partners of the Bharatiya Janata Party may be confident of getting the magic number to form the government on Thursday, but opinion in the regional Asom Gana Parishad and Bodoland Peoples Front seems to be divided over the issue of leadership.

This also reflected in the statement of two-time chief minister and stalwart of AGP Prafulla Kumar Mahanta who, a day before the counting of votes, advised BJP to take the alliance partners in confidence before declaring the name of the chief minister of the alliance.

Mr Mahanta told this newspaper, “We are confident of getting the mandate to form the government, but it was the responsibility of the BJP to take all the alliance partners into confidence.”

He added, “Mr Sonowal is certainly the chief ministerial candidate of the BJP but being the largest party of the alliance, it has responsibility of getting the approval of all the partners on the name of leadership.”

If insiders in the BJP are to be believed, there is a section in the Assam BJP which has also advised the central leadership of the party to tread cautiously on issue of leadership.

The Bodoland Peoples Front had clarified they would accept the BJP’s nominee as chief minister. However, the silence of BPF leader Hagrama Mohiliary on the issue of the leadership has been surprising.

Pointing out that Mr Mohiliary, who is the high command of the party, is yet to extend his support for Mr Sonowal, sources in the BPF said Mr Mohiliary would open his card only after the counting of votes. However, BPF spokesperson Khampa Borgoyari said the party would accept the chief ministerial candidate selected by the BJP and there should not be any confusion over the issue.

Taking a lesson from the Bihar fiasco, BJP leaders have been asked to be cautious about their remarks, sources in the BJP said adding that the party was also preparing for any eventuality of being short of few seats in getting the magic number to form the government in Assam.