Date:01/04/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/04/01/stories/2006040104431200.htm

National

`Left will have key role in Assam'

Special Correspondent

No party will get absolute majority: Sarkar

Elections are scheduled for April 3 and April 10

Left parties will "determine" the formation of the next government

Guwahati: Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar on Friday said the Left parties will "determine" the formation of the next government in Assam.

He felt no party would get an absolute majority in the State this time. The elections are scheduled for April 3 and April 10.

Addressing election rallies of the CPI (M) in Rangiya and Sarbhog constituencies of lower Assam, Mr. Sarkar urged voters to return its candidates to the Assembly in the interest of the poor and downtrodden.

No development work

Accusing the Assam Government of indulging in rampant corruption and adopting anti-people policies, he said it had not taken up any developmental work. Six per cent of Assam's population were still below the poverty line.

Urging people to vote for the Left candidates, he said elections were not the only platform for the CPI (M) and it was waging a relentless struggle for the uplift of the common man.

Apprehension

Mr. Sarkar expressed apprehension over the stability of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government at the Centre if it continued with its "anti-people" policies. The UPA Government, he said, had been forced to implement some people-oriented legislation such as the National Employment Guarantee Act only due to pressure exerted by the CPI (M) and other Left parties.

The CPI (M) has seat adjustments with the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) in seven seats, including Sarbhog from where State secretary and former Lok Sabha MP Uddhab Barman is locked in a contest with sitting Congress MLA Samsul Haque.

However, in the remaining nine seats, including Rangiya, it is engaged in a friendly contest with the regional party.

Triangular contest

In Rangiya, CPI (M) candidate Ananta Deka is locked in a triangular contest with PCC president and sitting Congress MLA Bhubaneswar Kalita and former AGP Minister Thaneswar Boro.

The CPI too has reached seat adjustments with the AGP in seven seats, while in two constituencies the two parties are engaged in a friendly contest. In the 2001 Assembly polls the Left parties drew a blank.