Gimmick has become synonymous with Asom Gana Parishad (AGP).
A leader of the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU), who has joined the regional political party on Wednesday, eyeing the Lok Sabha polls, has said that he will broom and mop the office of the regional party tomorrow.
AASU leader Mani Mugdha Mahanta has resigned from his position from the students’ body recently to join the AGP today.
AGP leadership today welcomed him to the party fold and hoped that the move will help strengthen the regional party.
“I am going to broom and mop the AGP office tomorrow which is my first responsibility towards the party,” said Mahanta, brother to the AGP leader and state water resources minister Keshav Mahanta.
Although the regional party is yet to declare the names of its candidates for the Lok Sabha polls, sources in the party has confirmed that Mahanta will contest from the Kaliabar Lok Sabha seat on AGP ticket. AGP, who is contesting the Lok Sabha polls as part of an alliance with the BJP, will put up candidates in three constituencies only—Kaliabar, Barpeta and Dhubri.
“I have joined the AGP as the regional party has courage and it epitomises sacrifice,” said Mahanta while interacting with the newsmen at AGP office.
Mani Mugdha Mahanta had joined the AASU in 1997 and rose to become vice president of the students’ body. Mahanta who hails from Kaliabar in Nagaon district formally resigned from the AASU on March 14.
IT may be mentioned here that the regional party on January 7 this year staged a powerful protest against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016 and walked out of the alliance as the BJP went ahead to pass the Bill in Lok Sabha.
The three ministers of the AGP also tendered their resignations to Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal soon after.
However, two months after the move the AGP again entered into an alliance with the BJP to contest the Lok Sabha polls despite severe opposition from the grassroots workers of the party at different districts—nothing less than a gimmick that the party often resorts to.