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Rediff.com  » News » Lok Sabha polls: BJP, AGP join hands in Assam

Lok Sabha polls: BJP, AGP join hands in Assam

Source: PTI
September 29, 2008 14:25 IST
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In a bid to unite the anti-Congress votes in the coming Lok Sabha elections, the opposition Asom Gana Parishad and Bharatiya Janata Party would go for a poll understanding in Assam.

The decision for seat-sharing was taken at meeting at Guwahati late Sunday night between BJP leader L K Advani and a delegation of the AGP headed by its president Chandra Mohan Patowary.

Patowary told media persons on Monday that even though his party had not forged alliance with the BJP, the meeting decided to go for a seat-sharing arrangement only to prevent division of the anti-Congress votes.

The modalities for seat-sharing would be worked out later after AGP had talks on a similar arrangement with other opposition parties, he said. Stating that various problems of the state were discussed at the meeting, Patowary said, opposition leader Advani was urged to raise in Parliament the issues concerning the people here to pressurise the centre for solving them.

The vital issues are peace talks with insurgent outfits to solve the militancy problem, sealing of the Indo-Bangladesh border, detection and deportation of Bangladeshi infiltrators, implementation of the Assam Accord and floods and erosion in the state.

Former chief minister and AGP-Progressive President Prafulla Kumar Mahanta also met Advani and apprised him about the activities of Pakistan's ISI-backed jehadi groups such as the HUJI threatening the security of Assam. Possible poll alliance with the BJP was, however, not discussed at the meeting where Advani was for a united fight by the opposition to defeat the Congress.

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