Guwahati:

Assam Congress president Bhupen Kumar Bora claimed that the opposition parties’ efforts to jointly contest the Lok Sabha polls in the state failed “due to national politics”.

He claimed that AAP’s campaigning alone in the state would be its “biggest mistake” and that the TMC’s refusal to recognize any constituency in West Bengal to the Congress had “adversely affected the alliance in the northeastern state”.

“We formed the United Opposition Forum of Assam (UOFA) eight months before the formation of the India Group. Our forum has 16 parties, three of which are directly participating in the Lok Sabha polls. But it is not because of me “Leadership or politics of the country, but it depends on the politics of the country,” Mr Bora told news agency PTI in an interview. “

Out of the total 14 seats in the state, the Congress party is contesting in 13 seats, one of which is reserved for UOFA member Assam Jaitya Parishad (AJP).

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Other UOFA members who have fielded candidates in the state include the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Communist Party of India (M).

Mr. Bora pointed out that the AAP and the Congress have a seat-sharing arrangement in Delhi but compete separately on all seats in Punjab.

“AAP had announced candidates for three seats in Assam but luckily they withdrew their nominees from Guwahati. I have requested (AAP state president) Bhabesh Choudhury They don’t want to contest alone, we are ready to give them a seat, but they insist on three points.”

Assam Congress Committee (APCC) chief claimed: “I think this will be the biggest political mistake of AAP as the result will prove that they have no name in the state.”

Talking about the TMC fielding candidates in Assam, Mr. Bora maintained that it was “a regional party based in West Bengal” and had no alliance with the Congress in the neighboring state.

“If they are not ready to give up a seat in their stronghold, how can I as Assam president sit here with the TMC chief and give them a seat? The starting point is West Bengal, not their Assam Bang,” he said.

As far as the CPI(M) is concerned, the Left party is fighting the Congress in Kerala and has fielded a candidate in Assam, he said.

“Though the three parties do not share the same views in the state, they are all part of the Indian opposition grouping against the BJP. I have also decided not to say anything against these parties,” Mr. Bora added .

Assam will go to polls in three phases on April 19, 26 and May 7.

Congress has three members in the outgoing Lok Sabha while other UOFA members do not have any representation from the state.

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party has nine MPs from Assam, one each from the AIUDF and an independent.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)