Nagaon: A developing rift between the ruling allies Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and Bharatiya Janata Party came to light in the historic Barhampur assembly constituency after some workers from the ruling BJP barred the AGP to hold a party meeting at Kathiatoli public playground a couple of days back. It’s pertinent to mention that the constituency was treated as the cathedral of regional politics and was being held by AGP from 1985 to 2021. In 1985, former AGP minister Girindra Kumar Baruah won the seat for the first time as AGP MLA and later former chief minister Prafulla Kr Mahanta held the seat for over three decades. But in 2021, due to health issues of P K Mahanta as well as seat sharing with the ruling allies, AGP had to leave the seat to BJP and BJP candidate and incumbent MLA Jitu Goswami won the seat with a narrow margin from the constituency.
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It’s reported that amidst the seat sharing negotiations between the ruling allies AGP and BJP, the regional political party Asom Gana Parishad initiated a series of political activities to get back its grassroots in the constituency again. As part of the initiative, Moni Madhav Mahanta, district president of Nagaon AGP, along with other party leaders scheduled a public rally at Kathiatoli public playground and erected a temporary tent there. Following this political development, a contractor who is a close associate of the public representative of the constituency, allegedly dumped piles of earth at the site in the name of a project and tried to bar the programme. It’s reported that Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma recently hinted at a potential list of candidates which fueled internal discussions and anxiety among incumbent MLAs.
