Acid test for Goswami, Mahanta

Guwahati, Apr 9 (UNI) The second phase of assembly elections scheduled for tomorrow would be crucial for the political future of two bigwigs in the opposition camp in Asom.

For the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) president Brindabon Goswami, a candidate in the second phase from Tezpur and Borcholla constituencies, it is a do or die situation for him.

Mr Goswami, the chief ministerial candidate of the main opposition party in the state, is leading the regional party for the first time in any election held in the state since its inception in 1985.

He had taken charge of the party in September 2001 after the party received a thrashing from Congress in the Assembly election that year. With that, his cold war started with the former party president and two-time chief minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta. The latter was finally expelled from the party late last year on charges of anti-party activities as the Goswami camp was very uncomfortable with Mr Mahanta around in the party.

It was stiff challenge before Mr Goswami to revitalize the morale of the party workers after the unprecedented defeat in 2001 Assembly polls.

Tomorrow is the acid test for his political career as well as the leadership of the regional outfit.

For Mr Mahanta, contesting from Nagaon and Barhampur constituencies, tomorrow's battle of ballot is the last chance to reverse his plummeting political fortune. He has been on the low tide of his political career after he was dethroned from the chief minister's chair in 2001 polls. The fatal blow was his last year's expulsion from the AGP that he had formed way back in 1985 with colleagues of agitation against foreigners. He was forced to form a new regional party by name and style of Asom Gana Parishad (Progressive) with handful of his die hard loyalists in the earlier party just before the current election in the state.

The polls pose an acid test to Mr Mahanta, once the most prominent face in regional politics. Leading his new party the AGP(P) to some respectability in the polls would be vital for his survival in the regional politics. He would then have a better platform to bounce back.

For that to happen, a thumping win for himself in the hustings is essential. As per the campaigning trend, he is a bit more comfortable in Barhampur constituency which he has been representing in Asom House since 1985.

However, in Nagaon, he is creating more trouble for the AGP as his presence in the fray will lead to division of votes in the regional camp much to the glee of other candidates.

The greatest challenge for Mr Mahanta so far in the election has been to educate the voters about his new symbol. He is no longer contesting with AGP's symbol of elephant which is popular among the illiterate rural voters in the constituencies he is contesting from. This time, he is contesting with a new symbol, an aeroplane, allotted to the newly-floated AGP(P) by the Election Commission.

UNI