Guwahati, Dec 30: The Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), a prominent regional party in Assam, is gearing up for the upcoming panchayat elections with the launch of its grassroots outreach initiatives—”Gaone Gaone AGP” (Village by Village AGP) and “Nogore Nogore AGP” (Town by Town AGP). These programmes aim to bolster the party’s popularity and organizational structure across rural and urban regions of the state.
Addressing a year-end media briefing held at the AGP headquarters in Ambari, AGP president and state agriculture minister Atul Bora outlined the significance of these programmes. The initiatives will focus on reorganizing party committees at the gaon panchayat (GP), chalk panchayat (AP), and zila parishad (ZP) levels.
This effort aligns with the party’s preparation for the polls post-delimitation of panchayat boundaries. “We aim to reach the masses and ensure Congress’s defeat in the panchayat elections,” said Bora. However, he refrained from revealing whether the AGP, a member of the NDA alliance, will contest the polls independently or join forces with its ally, the BJP.
Bora dismissed speculations of dissidence within the AGP, emphasizing that the party remains united despite occasional differences among its members. “We have differing opinions on some issues, but this cannot be termed dissidence. Outside forces are attempting to create divisions for vested interests, but we remain committed to our constitution and united as a party,” he asserted.
When questioned about public criticism from senior leaders such as former minister Kamala Kalita and ex-MLAs Utpal Deka and Satyabrat Kalita, Bora attributed their comments to emotional expressions, common in political discourse, and maintained that no anti-party remarks were made.
“Our primary objective is to ensure the defeat of the Congress in the panchayat elections. We are trying to increase our reach among the masses. During this programme, we will reorganise our party committees at the gaon panchayat (GP), anchalik panchayat (AP), and zila parishad (ZP) levels, taking into account the factors at the ground post-delimitation of the panchayats,” Bora said.
“We have decided to fight the panchayat poll with full force, but yet to decide anything on allying with the existing NDA alliance,” he said. Bora claimed that the AGP is an organized and disciplined party with no dissidence among its leaders. However, he admitted that outside forces are trying to divide the party for vested interests. “We are one and united,” he said.
“Yes, we have differing opinions and views on various issues. But can’t ve termed as dissidence,” B ora said on several senior leaders outcry against party leadership.
Looking ahead, the AGP has set its sights on the 2026 assembly elections. Bora announced plans to celebrate 2025 as the Year of the Mother Tongue, reflecting the party’s commitment to linguistic nationalism.
“Our party represents Assam’s linguistic and cultural diversity, with people from various tribes and languages contributing to our vision,” he said. Ground-level initiatives will highlight these values, further uniting the state’s diverse communities.
Bora also denies the possibility of any leader exiting the AGP and forming a new party ahead of the 2026 assembly elections in the state. “Outside forces are trying to instigate. But we are one and united. We are also strictly following our party constitution,” he said.
“We are also working hard for the upcoming 2026 assembly elections. So the new year 2025 will be a year of hope and aspiration for us. We are going to celebrate the year 2-025 as the mother tongue year. Our party is based on linguistic nationalism. Scores of tribes living in Assam speak different languages.
People from different languages are in our party. We will hold programmes at ground level,” he also said. Reaffirming the AGP’s roots, Bora stressed the party’s dedication to implementing the clauses of the historic Assam Accord, a key agreement that defines its political identity.
