Assam Congress MLAs switching loyalty, willing to join BJP?

Assam, Nov 20: Predicting a mid-term poll in Assam, Bharatiya Janata Legislature Party leader Jadab Chandra Deka has claimed that several Congressmen are willing to join BJP. The reason behind this shift is said to be losing faith in the leadership of Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi.

Confident of being victorious in these polls Deka was quoted as saying in ET, "Riddled by factionalism, several Congress MLAs have lost faith in the leadership of Tarun Gogoi. These MLAs are looking for an alternative and have opened channels of communication with the national leadership of BJP. Gogoi government is slowly becoming minority government."

"BJP will bring no-confidence against the Congress government during the budget session of the state assembly next March. Then there will President's rule. By October, we will have mid-term polls. We have asked our cadres and key party functionaries to start preparations," Deka added. Assam assembly polls are due only in 2016 in the normal course.

"There is a move by some leaders to join BJP. The party is suffering from indecision and delays," he added in the daily's report.

Deka also hinted that Congressmen may join BJP during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Assam on November 29.

This is the second time in this month that a BJP leader from the state has talked Congress MLAs switching sides.

Earlier, a Facebook post by BJP's national executive member Prodyut Bora claimed that Himanta Biswa Sarma, a former minister in the Tarun Gogoi cabinet, was trying to join the party. However, Sarma denied doing so.

Modi will be on his first visit to five northeastern state to attend a series of programmes.

He last visited the state as the Bharatiya Janata Party's prime ministerial candidate.

During his visit, Modi is likely to meet the Chief Ministers of all the eight northeastern states, including Sikkim, in Guwahati Nov 29. He will also inaugurate the annual conference of state police chiefs in Guwahati on the same day.

He is scheduled to visit Tripura on November 29, Manipur November 30, Nagaland December 01 and Arunachal Pradesh December 02. However, his itinerary is likely to be slightly rescheduled.

In Nagaland, Modi will inaugurate the state's biggest festival - 'Hornbill Festival' - and in Manipur he will inaugurate the 'Sangai Festival' which showcases the diverse cultures of Manipur.

In Tripura, Modi will inaugurate the second unit of the 726-MW power project in Palatana in southern Tripura.

(With inputs from agencies)

OneIndia News