Congress MLAs deserting Tarun Gogoi's sinking ship, begin talks with BJP leadership

GUWAHATI: Several Congress functionaries are willing to join BJP as they have lost faith in the leadership of Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, Bharatiya Janata Legislature Party leader Jadab Chandra Deka has claimed while predicting a mid-term poll and victory for his party next year. "Riddled by factionalism, several Congress MLAs have lost faith in the leadership of Tarun Gogoi. These MLAs are looking for an alternative and have opened channels of communication with the national leadership of BJP. Gogoi government is slowly becoming minority government," Deka told ET.

"BJP will bring no-confidence against the Congress government during the budget session of the state assembly next March. Then there will President's rule. By October, we will have mid-term polls. We have asked our cadres and key party functionaries to start preparations," Deka added. Assam assembly polls are due only in 2016 in the normal course.

Deka said some Congress leaders were expected to join BJP during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Assam on November 29. Modi is on an official visit, where he is likely to meet chief ministers of eight northeast states. Several Congress leaders are in talks with Bharatiya Janata Party president Amit Shah and the central leadership has summoned state president Sidhartha Bhattacharjee for discussions on the political scene in Assam, he said Reports of several Congressmen queuing up to join BJP were triggered after BJP national executive member Prodyut Bora opposed the entry of dissent leader Himanta Biswa Sarma into BJP. Sarma, however, denied that he was joining BJP.

However, the episode has seen BJP leaders talking in different voices, pointing to differences in the state unit of the party. "Several Congress leaders who sided with Gogoi during his struggle with Himanta Biswa Sarma are now frustrated as AICC is has not cleared the Cabinet reshuffle. Gogoi has submitted the list of probable names last month," said a senior functionary of the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee. "There is a move by some leaders to join BJP. The party is suffering from indecision and delays," he added.