GUWAHATI: In view of changing political equations in Assam where the next Assembly election is going to be held in April-May, the outcome of polls in the fifteen legislative assembly constituencies in Barak Valley region of the state are set to play a crucial role in formation of the next government in the state given the mushrooming of new regional, political groups in Brahmaputra Valley area of the state.
In the poll-bound Assam is, a number of regional political parties have been mushrooming during the last 12 months or so in Brahmaputra Valley region. The most prominent among the newly-floated regional political parties are Assam Jatiya Parishad and Raijor Dal.
Assam Jatiya Parishad is virtually an off-spring of the anti-CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act) movement which is now headed by Lurin Jyoti Gogoi, former General Secretary of All Assam Students’ Union (AASU). Raijor Dal has been formed at the initiative of the Krishak Mukti Sangram Samity (KMSS) whose leader Akhil Gogoi who is now in jail on sedition charges slapped on him. Even though in jail, Akhil Gogoi is the leader of Raijor Dal. Both these regional parties have taken a strong posture against the ruling BJP and its ally Asom Gana Parishad (AGP). Significantly, a large number of members of the AGP including two of its MLAs have joined the AJP till date sending the alarm bell ringing for the senior regional party and much to the discomfort of the BJP too.
The new regional political parties are basically based in Brahmaputra Valley where they are targeting the same voter base as the BJP and its ally AGP. The situation is just the one where there will be sharp division of anti- ruling dispensation votes among the new regional parties and other opposition political groups including Congress and Left parties. Hence there is now an effort to form a grand alliance in the state to fight the BJP and its allies. But the efforts have so far remained wayward even as Congress and All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) have announced that they will be allies in the forthcoming polls.
Even as the populous Brahmaputra Valley region has been crowded with so many political parties including new regional parties, in Barak Valley region the contest will be basically among the Congress-AIUDF and the BJP. So, there is lesser chances of sharp division of votes and hence the15 LACs there will be in focus of the strategy of the BJP and Congress-AIUDF. No wonder, BJP has already geared up its activities in that region and the party even organized its last state executive committee meeting in Barak Valley.
