Assam is heading to polls on April 9, with the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) being a key ally in the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA). The party is contesting 26 out of 126 seats alongside the BJP and Bodoland People's Front (BPF).
The AGP was born out of the 1985 elections, which transformed student leaders of the Assam agitation into state rulers.
The Assam Agitation
The AGP was formed in October 1985, two months after the Assam Accord ended the six-year Assam agitation led by the All Assam Students' Union (AASU) and supported by civic organisations under the All Assam Gana Sangram Parishad (AAGSP). The movement's primary goal had been the identification and deportation of “illegal immigrants”.
During the six-year-long movement (1979-1985), the agitators organised mass protests, strikes, and political campaigns to put pressure both on the state and central governments. The 1983 Assembly elections were largely boycotted by the movement, as they were conducted without addressing the “foreigners' issue,” resulting in the lowest voter turnout in Assam's history (32.74%).
The Assam Accord
In 1985, Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi invited the movement leaders for talks. It ended in the Assam Accord signed on August 15, 1985.
The Accord set deadlines for identifying and deporting illegal immigrants and promised political and economic safeguards for the Assamese people.
Following the Accord, leaders behind the agitation converted their movement into a political party. A convention in Golaghat from October 1985 saw the merger of smaller regional parties such as the Asom Jatiyatabadi Dal (AJD) and Purbanchaliya Loka Parishad to form a new political entity -- the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP).
AGP Key Leadership
- Prafulla Kumar Mahanta: AASU leader and the first Chief Minister of AGP. He was only 33, making him the youngest Chief Minister in India at the time.
- Bhrigu Kumar Phukan: A prominent AASU leader who played a key role in organising the movement and later served in the AGP government.
- Dinesh Goswami: Legal strategist and senior political advisor.
The 1985 Assembly Elections
Two months after its formation, AGP contested the 1985 Assembly elections. They campaigned primarily on the Assam Accord, protection of Assamese cultural identity, economic development, and state autonomy.
The party put forward 107 candidates and won 64 seats, forming the first regional government in Assam.
AGP also secured 7 of 10 Lok Sabha seats, while the Congress, dominant in the state since 1952, managed only 25 Assembly seats and 4 Lok Sabha seats.
