The exit polls predicting an impressive hat-trick for the ruling Congress Party have failed to discourage the Opposition Asom Gana Parishad, BJP and AIUDF in working out strategy for a non-Congress government in Assam.
Disclosing that if necessary, the two anti-Congress forces, the BJP and the AIUDF, may agree to remain away from power to help in formation of a non-Congress government, comprising the AGP and other regional forces, sources said that the Opposition political parties have come to an agreement to prevent the Congress from returning to power for the third term.
AGP leader Prafulla Kumar Mahanta, who outright rejected the findings of exit polls, said that there seems to be a serious error in analysing the ground realities of the state. “We should wait for May 13. The counting of votes will clear the picture,” he said, adding that the AGP would emerge the single largest party and form the government with the support of all the anti-Congress forces in the state.
About the exit polls, he said that it was also aimed at demoralising the moral of the Opposition parties who are set to form the government by thrashing out ideological differences on many issues.
Northeast BJP secretary P. Chandrashekhar, who also rejected the findings of the exit polls, said that they do not look factually correct. He did not rule out the possibility of a tactical understanding with the Opposition political parties to stop the Congress Party from coming to power.
The AIUDF leaders admitted that they went to the voters with anti-Congress issues.
“We will study the mandate of the people before taking any decision. If we succeed in defeating the Congress Party, obviously the electorate wants us to go against the Congress party. We will have to honour the mandate of the voters,” said AIUDF leader and MP Badruddin Ajmal, who may play the key role in formation of the government in the state.