BJP-AGP alliance talks hits rough weather

New Delhi: The seat-sharing arrangement between BJP and Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) seemed to have met rough weather following differences over the Guwahati seat.

The understanding between the two parties was scheduled to be announced at a joint press conference to be held at BJP headquarters on Wednesday noon in the presence of NDA's prime ministerial candidate L K Advani and AGP's Prafulla Kumar Mahanta, which was apparently postponed following the death of the brother of AGP's Legislative Party leader Mishra Ranjan Das on Tuesday.

AGP Legislative Party President Chandra Mohan Patwari told UNI that BJP was insisting that Guwahati seat should be given to it.

AGP has four sitting MLAs from the constituency and has a strong hold over this parliamentary constituency. Hence, the party wants to to field its candidate from Guwahati, which is presently held by the Congress, he said.

"We are, however, still confident that the understanding on the seat-sharing between the two parties would be sorted out," he added.

Mr Patwari clarified that AGP, even while negotiating seat-sharing with BJP, had made it clear that it would not be part of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

In reply to a specific querry, he denied that the AGP was holding any parleys with United Democratic Front (UDF) in Assam.

In fact, AGP had given a call to all non-Congress parties to unite together to uproot the 'inept' Congress government headed by Tarun Gogoi, he said.

Mr Patwari did not respond when further pressed whether he ruled out the possibility of joining hands with UDF in the post-poll scenario.

BJP, meanwhile, maintained that the joint press conference of the two parties had been postponed in view of the death of the brother of an AGP functionary last evening.

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