AGP, BJP to contest 2016 Assam Assembly elections together

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will contest the upcoming Assembly election in Assam in an alliance with Asom Gana Parishad (AGP).

Guwahati: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and  Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) will together contest the upcoming Assembly election in Assam.

AGP leader Prafulla Kumar Mahanta on Wednesday announced his party has sealed the deal with the BJP.

AGP chief Atul Bora made the alliance announcement after a meeting with the BJP top leadership, including the party's national president Amit Shah, at his New Delhi residence.

Mahanta​ said a formal announcement about the alliance will be made by the two parties in a day or two where the number of seats to be contested by them would be made public.

BJP's chief ministerial candidate Sarbananda Sonowal, AGP president Atul Bora besides others were present in the meeting.

Meanwhile, BJP supporters in Sivsagar district of Assam vandalised the party office in the district, opposing the alliance with the AGP. Similar protests by the AGP supporters are also anticipated in the days to come.

Thousands of the AGP members, mostly grassroot party workers, had taken to streets in different parts of Assam a few days back and opposed any alliance between the AGP and the BJP in the state.

Congress has already announced that they will fight alone in the 126 Assembly seats and the All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) announced to fight in 60 seats.

The BJP has also forged an alliance with the Bodoland Peoples Front (BPF) to jointly fight the Assembly polls in Assam.