Assam's Grand Alliance in disarray with Congress' removal of AIUDF, exit by BPF

The Congress-led Grand Alliance or Mahajot, comprising ten parties, is in disarray.

The Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) has decided to snap ties with the All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) while another party - the Bodoland People's Front (BPF) - has announced that it will contest the upcoming by-polls on its own. APCC will submit a report to AICC on Thursday and will take a call of whether the Grand Alliance will continue or not.

The CPM, another constituent of the Grand Alliance, has clarified that it has entered into seat sharing adjustment with the Congress during the elections and is no longer part of the Mahajot.


AICC general secretary Mukul Wasnik, who was in Guwahati on Wednesday, said a Grand Alliance in Assam was formed after weighing the political exigencies of the pre-poll situation and the decision to remove AIUDF from the alliance was taken by the state Congress, considering the present situation.

Wasnik said, "The Pradesh Committee has all the right to decide. In pre-election time, they took decisions in view of the political situation then. However, the post-election situation has changed and decisions are taken keeping in mind the changed scenario."

The core committee of the APCC had, on Monday, resolved to sever ties with AIUDF and moved AIUDF out of the Mahajot.

APCC president Bhupen Borah said that AIUDF has worked against the core principle of the Alliance. "We had allied to fight against the divisive policies of the BJP. But AIUDF leaders praised the BJP-led government and one of the leaders even supported the Taliban. This is not acceptable to us." He said, "BPF has conveyed that they do not want to be in the Alliance. I will submit a report to AICC regarding this on Thursday." Congress leaders said that AIUDF leaders were praising the BJP-led government for individual gains. In this year's assembly polls, the Congress had won 29 seats and AIUDF 14.