Coalition is the name of the game

It may be hard for either the Congress or AGP to form a government alone.

Will the Congress score a hat trick in Assam? And will Tarun Gogoi, Congress’ chief ministerial candidate get a third term ? If he does, he will be the second chief minister in the history of Assam to claim the coveted post a third time. The only other Assam Chief Minister to achieve this distinction was Bimala Prasad Chaliha who was chief minister from 1957-1970.

Gogoi and the Congress party appear confident of forming the government. But so is the opposition, mainly the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), which has been out of power since 2001 and desperately needs an electoral victory this time around. However, political analysts predict a hung-assembly as things were not as smooth this time for the Congress, unlike the two previous elections. Anti-incumbency, coupled with a change in the political arithmetic in Assam post 2006, primarily due to the rise of All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF), a pro-Muslim party, might spring surprises tomorrow.(PARTYWISE POLLING PERCENTAGE IN LAST POLLS)

However, even if May 13 brings forth a fractured verdict, Congress will still have the possibility of making it to Dispur by striking a post-poll alliance with Bodoland People's Front, its coalition partner in the outgoing government, or with AIUDF, a possibility neither have denied.

A Congress’ win in Assam will surely give much required boost to the morale of the party at the Centre, besieged by corruption charges and scams.

For the BJP, Assam is the only state, among those where results are due tomorrow, where it has some hope. The party too is in the race to form a non-Congress, non-AIUDF government with the AGP.

Elections in Assam were held in two phases, on April 4 and 11