Unite and fight against BJP at once: Tarun Gogoi

GUWAHATI: A day ahead of swearing in of Nitish Kumar as chief minister for the fifth time, Assam chief minister, Tarun Gogoi on Thursday re-iterated that it time for secular parties to unite and fight BJP.

Bete noire Tarun Gogoi and chief of All India United Democratic Front ( AIUDF) Badruddin Ajmal are expected to meet in Patna on Friday as both the leaders are attending the swearing in ceremony.

There is now speculation that script of Assam’s proposed Mahagatbandan will be scripted in Patna on Friday. Already RJD leader Lalu Prasad Yadav and JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar has assured Gogoi that they will come to Assam during the polls to campaign against BJP.

Gogoi is now toeing with the idea of replicating Bihar type grand alliance for Assam polls in 2016. Ajmal has remained non committal to the Gogoi’s proposal and maintained that his party will maintain equal distance with both congress and BJP.

Gogoi said, “It time for anti BJP, secular parties to come together to taken on BJP. I heard that after Bihar’s defeat, BJP has changed strategy and will announce chief minister candidate for Assam. But why are they not declaring the name.”

Political analyst opined that recently both Gogoi and Ajmal have met twice in Guwahati fueling speculation of new political equation. “The Friday meeting in Patna in presence of Mahagatbandan leaders will put in motion the poll arithmetic ofAssam, where congress is in power for third consecutive.”

AIUDF is working to increase its number of seats in next year’s poll. AIUDF has gradually taken away the Muslim support base of congress.

AIUDF formed in 2006 is growing stronger with each election. AIUDF clinched 10 seats in 2006 assembly polls. In 2011 assembly polls AIUDF got 18 seats and emerged as the largest opposition party in the State Legislative Assembly. AIUDF has increased its tally from one seat of 2009 to 3 in 2014 Lok sabha polls.