GUWAHATI: The BJP-AGP seat-sharing deal for the assembly election remained unresolved despite Union home minister Amit Shah’s intervention in Guwahati on Sunday, with leaders of both parties leaving for Delhi on Monday for a final round of talks.The main sticking points are Chabua-Lahowal and Dergaon in upper Assam, both currently held by AGP. Despite the deadlock, AGP leaders said the alliance with BJP is final and that the party is expected to contest nearly 27 seats as an NDA ally, similar to the last assembly election.CM Himanta Biswa Sarma said BJP’s first ticket meeting will be held on Tuesday, followed by a meeting of the party’s parliamentary board on Wednesday. BJP’s candidate list is expected by Wednesday evening.Referring to AGP’s demands, Sarma said parties should decide seats based on their strength on the ground and warned that any wrong move would benefit Congress. He added that AGP had been clearly told how many seats BJP could leave for it. “Amit Shah ji told AGP leaders that if they need something more, they can send it to him logically and it will be once discussed in the parliamentary board of BJP.”Senior AGP leader and Lok Sabha MP Phani Phusan Choudhury said the deal could be finalised on Tuesday. “A decision was made on most of the seats, but there are mismatches in 3 to 4 seats,” he added.He said AGP had raised the issue with Shah, who, according to Choudhury, assured party leaders that the differences would be addressed through talks with AGP president Atul Bora.The exact number of seats AGP will get remains unclear, but the party is seeking 3 to 4 more seats from BJP, including Chabua-Lahowal and Dergaon, where it has two sitting MLAs — Ponakan Baruah from the erstwhile Chabua constituency and Bhaben Bharali, respectively.AGP is also likely to press for Guwahati Central, where Ramendra Narayan Kalita, the sitting MLA from the now-dissolved West Guwahati seat, wants to contest.Discontent is also growing within a section of AGP leaders over the possibility that the party may not get any of the four seats in Guwahati city — New Guwahati, Guwahati Central, Dispur and Jalukbari.Party sources said AGP did not seek Jalukbari, where Sarma is expected to contest, or Dispur. But Kalita is keen on Guwahati Central, while former Aasu leader Simanta Thakuria has sought a party ticket from New Guwahati.On Monday, Bora ruled out any friendly contest with BJP. “Friendly contest will encourage and help opposition parties. We want to avoid friendly contest,” he told reporters during a joining programme at the party headquarters.At the event, BJP leader and former AASU leader Prakash Das joined the AGP along with suspended AIUDF MLA Zakir Hussain Laskar. Das is set to contest from the SC-reserved Hajo-Sualkuchi seat.
