Date:29/01/2004 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2004/01/29/stories/2004012903361200.htm

National

Mahanta to contest for party's presidentship

By Barun Das Gupta

GUWAHATI, JAN. 28. The former Assam Chief Minister and AGP leader, Prafulla Kumar Mahanta, told a press conference here that he would contest for the party presidentship at its three-day convention that began at Tezpur today. He said the "question of my defeat does not arise at all.''

Mahanta loyalists claimed that he would win by a margin of 80 votes. The number of eligible voters in the convention is 436.

He delivered a broadside against the party's "present leadership'' accusing it of failing to project the problems of the people, to play the role of a major Opposition, of not launching any agitation and not protecting party workers from harassment and attacks by the ruling Congress. He alleged that as a result of these failures, the AGP had lost its popularity as was evident from the recently-held elections to the local bodies.

He criticised the present leadership for launching a campaign against "some senior party leaders.''

Mr. Mahanta said "interference by outsiders'' in the internal affairs of the party must stop. The question of forging electoral alliances was still "open,'' he said when his attention was drawn to the State BJP chief, Indramoni Bora's statement that the BJP would have no truck with the AGP.