GUWAHATI: After six opposition parties, led by the Congress, came forward to jointly fight the upcoming Assam polls, the state could now see the formation of a grand alliance of some regional and ethnic communities-based parties.
Former leader of the All Assam Students' Union Lurinjyoti Gogoi, who now heads the Asom Jatiya Parishad (AJP), said they were working to form a grand alliance with AJP, Raijor Dal, Autonomous State Demand Committee (ASDC), Gana Shakti, tribal councils etc.
"Our thrust is on a regional equation. This front is going to happen," Gogoi told The New Indian Express on Thursday.
He said the AJP's alliance with Raijor Dal and ASDC, which is based in Karbi Anglong, had been finalised.
"The indigenous communities of Rabhas, Tiwas, Bodos and Mishings are left. We feel two of them will come aboard. The tribals are Assam's sons of the soil. They have to be given a political space," Gogoi said.
Stating that they stand for inclusive politics, he said the alliance had plans to field candidates in all 126 seats.
Recently, the Congress and the All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) had appealed to the AJP and the Raijor Dal to join the grand alliance of opposition parties. The AJP rejected it outright.
"We will not join it. The BJP and the Congress do not have any ideological differences. The Congress had submitted an affidavit in Supreme Court to impose the illegal immigrants in Assam as part of its vote-bank politics. As regards the AIUDF, we all know it was floated after the scrapping of the Illegal Migrants (Determination by Tribunal) Act to protect the illegal immigrants. So, there is no question of joining this grand alliance," Gogoi said.
He believed there would not be any division of anti-BJP votes since people would reject the Congress and the AIUDF.
"The fight will be between us and the BJP. But the BJP votes have eroded after the state-wide agitation against Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA). Similarly, the Congress and the AIUDF have also suffered erosions of 60% of their votes," Gogoi claimed.
AJP and Raijor Dal were floated last year against the backdrop of the anti-CAA agitation.
Two days ago, the Congress had announced the grand alliance of opposition parties. It has three Left parties, regional Anchalik Gana Morcha besides Congress and AIUDF.