New Delhi: BJP on Tuesday claimed it foresaw the
possibility of a non-Congress government coming to power in
Assam assembly elections and said it is in talks with AGP to
explore the possibilities of forming the next dispensation.
"There is a strong anti-Congress mood in Assam. The party
is in for a shock," senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley said,
adding Congress will not be able to form the next government.
The Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha is election
in-charge of BJP for Assam and West Bengal. He campaigned
extensively in Assam for his party last week.
"BJP and AGP will gain in the state and this will be at
the cost of the Congress," he claimed.
Jaitley said BJP had opened channels of communication with
AGP and got positive signals from it.
"We are open to an alliance with AGP and their attitude
too has been positive," he said in reply to a question.
Sources said BJP and AGP are open to forming a government
if they get the numbers.
AGP had been a part of the BJP-led alliance earlier.
During the 2009 Lok Sabha polls, it had come back to NDA-fold
but walked out again.
Though no pre-poll alliance could be finalised between
the two parties during the current Assembly elections, there
is said to be a tacit understanding between them in
distribution of tickets.
PTI
First Published: Tuesday, April 12, 2011, 21:36