Guwahati. Before the upcoming assembly elections in Assam, talks regarding seat sharing within the ruling NDA alliance have reached the final stage. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has set March 10 as the new date to finalize the alliance formula.
The Chief Minister said that discussions are going on with allies and consensus is yet to be reached on some points. He said talks with the Bodoland People’s Front are expected to be completed in a day or two, while with the Assam Gana Parishad, all issues will be agreed upon by March 9–10. After this the alliance will formally announce seat sharing.
Agreement with some parties, talks ongoing with some
According to Sarma, an agreement regarding seats has already been reached with Rabha Hassong Jowtha Sangram Samiti. Recently held Rajya Sabha elections were also cited as a reason for the delay, due to which the allies are adopting a strategically cautious approach.
Major constituent parties of NDA in Assam
Bharatiya Janata Party
Assam Gana Parishad
United People’s Party Liberal
Bodoland People’s Front.
Apart from this, Janashakti Party is also a part of the alliance, although it is not represented in the current assembly.
The deadline changed several times before
Even before this, the Chief Minister had announced different deadlines for seat sharing. There was talk of agreement in February and January also, but the final agreement kept getting postponed. Now March 10 is being considered as the decisive date.
Election mathematics changed after delimitation
After the 2023 delimitation, the boundaries of many constituencies in the state have changed. Some seats have gone from general to reserved category, while some reserved seats have been converted to general category. This has made seat adjustments between parties more complicated.
Current Assembly Status
BJP is the largest party in the 126-member Assam Assembly, while its allies also play an important role in the balance of power. in the opposition camp
Indian National Congress
All India United Democratic Front
Communist Party of India (Marxist)
Including those who have a limited number of MLAs.
Exercise to balance power before elections
Political analysts believe that in view of the changed social and geographical equations after delimitation, balancing the seats among the NDA allies is very important strategically. The proposed announcement of March 10 is being considered as a decisive step in the electoral politics of the state.