Haren Sheel, the current secretary of the AGP office, has repeatedly offered to help. The study is based on the interview method and non-participant observation of political affairs in the AGP.
Assam: a peripheral state of India
The movement to recognize Assamese as the official language in Assam instead of Bengali was the starting point of the Assamese-Bengali conflict. In 1873 the Assamese language was given the status of an official language and in the following year Assam became a chief commissioner's province independent of the Province of Bengal.
Location of Assam
Assamese middle class, social factions and the Assam Movement
After independence, the government and administrative apparatuses in Assam were mostly controlled by the Assamese middle class. Immediately the leaders of the Assam movement formed a new regional political party viz. Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), and decided to contest the elections.
The larger context of study on factional politics in India
But the emergence of regional political parties in the states during the 1960s had shaken the Congress Party's dominant position. Many of the opposition leaders who formed government in the states were dissident leaders of the Congress itself.
Statement of the problem: Objectives of the research and hypotheses
The main objective of the study is to investigate the determinants of factional conflict in the AGP. To see the relationship between factionalism in the AGP and sub-national identity formation in Assam.
Factional Politics: Conceptual framework
But the factionalism in the DMK in Tamil Nadu was mostly due to the clash of personal interests of the leaders. Such factionalism occurs only in bourgeois democracy and the bourgeois party system, which promotes the capitalists' own interests.
Methodology of the Study
Both primary and secondary data related to factional politics in the AGP formed the core of the research. District and local AGP officials are also an important source of information on factional rivalries.
Significance and limitations of the study
The remaining few were in the doldrums to speak out about the internal politics in the AGP. That is why I have encountered insurmountable difficulties in getting the right information and painting a real picture of the internal politics of the AGP.
Review of Literature
The emergence of factionalism is related to the relatively serious changes that occur in the environment of the group. Yet the book is not specific to the internal political dynamics of the political parties in Assam.
Scheme of chapters
The title of the fourth chapter is 'Dynamics of factional politics in the Asom Gana Parishad'. The fifth chapter titled 'The degenerative factionalism in the Asom Gana Parishad' is an extension of the fourth.
The concept of faction and nature of factionalism
Key was referring to multi-factionalism in the American Democratic Party in the southern states of the United States in the 1940s. Most of the factions in the Congress Party after independence are based on personal factors.
Classification of factional situation and Factional pattern
The Democratic Party in the state of Virginia in the US showed such a unifactional pattern in the 1940s. It could be an alternative to competition between two parties, as in the case of the state of Louisiana in the US.
Functions of Factionalism
Third, in case of ideological factions, strict adherence to ideological allegiance becomes dysfunctional for the party. Therefore, party management covers factional conflict in party organization and factionalism has acquired the status of a taboo due to its disruptive influence.
Three faces of factionalism
Self-serving behavior by factional leaders is both the cause and the effect of degenerative factionalism, which diverts focus away from the general interest of the party. Distribution of political patronage (barter system) creates corruption and endangers the party machinery on the ground. Again, factional division of the spoils is unsustainable in the long run, as the state's resources are limited.
Solution to factional conflict
Appointments, cabinet formations, distribution of political patronages were also managed along factional lines in the LDP. Again, granting status in the party to potential leaders to isolate the conflict, rituals and ceremonies emphasizing common values, special agencies for creating public opinion pressure are safety valve devices of political parties that avert a factional situation. Different individuals engage in the factional process according to the differential non-fulfillment of their basic need.
The Assam Movement and genesis of the AGP
All the leaders of AAGSP, who played a vital role in the Assam movement, came together to form the AGP on 14 October 1985. 49 Brindaban Goswami, one of the former AASU leaders, played a significant role in the Assam movement. Performance of AGP in 1985 Assembly Election Name of Party Election to Assam Legislative.
The organizational background of the AGP
The formation of AGP had its roots in the very process where the movement was being institutionalized during the years 1983-85. The meeting was attended by AASU leaders under Bhrigu Kumar Phukan53, General Secretary. There is another Atul Bora who was the president of AASU and joined AGP in the 1990s.
Roots of factional conflict in the AGP
Therefore, one of the main objectives of this study is to uncover the roots of factionalism in the AGP. In 2011, Sonowal left the AGP to join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and later became the chairman of the party. As such, the organizational structure of the AGP is well intertwined and strong on pen and paper.
Leadership of the AGP and factionalism
Being the President of the AASU, Mahanta also exercised power and influence in the AAGSP. He left the top post in the AGP soon after the party's defeat in the Assembly elections of 2001. Other factional groupings were formed mainly to challenge the hegemony of the Prafulla Kumar Mahnata faction in the AGP.
Pattern of factional politics in the AGP
All the leaders of the AGP were like equals who knew each other's strengths and weaknesses. The AGP benefited greatly from this secular image of the leaders during the 1985 parliamentary elections. Thus, factionalism at the beginning of the AGP was positive and functional, encouraging rational thinking.
Conflict mitigation machinery in the AGP
But the people of Assam are helpless eyewitnesses to the factional politics in the AGP. The negative attitude towards factionalism among the leaders made matters worse in the AGP as well. The intellectuals and academicians of Assam who knew the importance of AGP are not alone.
The Initial shades of factionalism
Prafulla Kumar Mahanta again became Chief Minister in 1996 after becoming President of the AGP at the Lakhimpur General Conference. Atul Bora became the party's general secretary and PWD minister in the first AGP government. The post of president of the AGP became the point of contention between Brindaban Goswami and Prafulla Kumar Mahanta.
Friends turn Foes: The age of competitive factionalism in the AGP
Central Executive of NAGP (a breakaway faction of AGP) President: Sri Pulakesh Baruah. The editorial dated 7 April 1991 of the Assam Tribune, the leading English daily in Assam observed that "The split in the AGP has been formalized". Many factional leaders and power centers appeared in the AGP, which compromised the general will of the people.
Factionalism after the Assembly election of 1991
Paragdhar Chaliha, as chairman of the AGP, played a constructive role and advocated unity. It was strange that the unification of the two political parties in the AGP circle never gained importance114. Despite the unification, the leaders of the AGP and the NAGP had never even gotten closer and the internal strife continued in the AGP.
Impact of competitive factionalism on the AGP
He was not invited to the farewell ceremony of the first AGP government. The drafters of the party constitution disregarded the collegiate system of leadership according to the political convention of Golaghat. These editorials from the party chapter itself reflect the state of affairs in the AGP after it came to power in Assam.
Factionalism and crisis of governance in Assam Hiranya Bhattacharyya writes,
Home Minister Bhrigu Kumar Phukan did not attend the dismissal ceremony of the new ministers. The party's central executive was filled with supporters of the Mahant, led by Digen Bora. It was a vertical split, as all the district committees of the AGP split.
Factionalism and electoral performance of the AGP
The election results of the AGP in the assembly elections in 1991 after the division Name of. Manifestation of factional politics in the election results of the AGP (Comparison of parliamentary elections in 1985 and 1991). However, the Barak Valley had never been a strong hold of the AGP, but an increase in the BJP's support base in the Brahmaputra Valley rang alarm bells for the AGP.
Second episode of the AGP government in Assam
Atul Bora's position in the AGP government did not suit the interest of some other leaders in the Mahanta faction. Kutum in his capacity as Speaker of the Assam Legislative Assembly increased his discretionary fund to ten lakhs. The tendency or unwillingness of the AGP leaders to accept a single leadership was the core of all the problems in the party.
The beginning of a new phase of factionalism
Performance of the united front of the AGP in the Assembly election of 1996 Name of the. This weakness in the leadership and decision-making has written a sad chapter in the history of the AGP. Several of the dedicated AGP leaders are disillusioned with this state of affairs in the party.
Bhrigu Kumar Phukan and Prafulla Kumar Mahanta
Each member of the AGP can simultaneously perform one executive function in the government and one office holder function in the party"147. After his expulsion from the AGP, he started uniting all the dissidents of the party and creating public opinion against the Mahant-led AGP government. Allegations of corruption and the ineffectiveness of the AGP government at the time led to a crisis of governance.
Politics between Atul Bora and Prafulla Kumar Mahanta faction
The allegations question the government's credibility and damaged party cohesion. In his place, Jayashree Goswami Mahanta, wife of the Prime Minister was allowed to contest the election. Further, there were allegations of corruption against most of the cabinet ministers of the AGP government.
Results of friendly match between the AGP and the BJP in 2001 Constituency Name of the candidate party Valid votes. Most of the veteran leaders of the AGP were either expelled from the party by the Mahanta faction or left the party to form a new political party. These are some examples of how the factional politics and egoism of the AGP leaders have caused erosion of the party's vote bank.
Power tussle between Prafulla Kumar Mahanta and his rivals
Since then, Brindaban Goswami's legitimacy has risen in the party and the result of the Lok Sabha elections has boosted it. In the end, he was given a show cause notice by the party in June 2005. The AGP steering committee officially announced Brindaban Goswami as the party's candidate for the post of prime minister on the following eve.
Prafulla Kumar Mahanta became the president of AGP (P) with Hemanta Kalita as the general secretary and spokesperson of the new political party. Statistics on AGP performance in 12th Assam Assembly Election 2006 Name i. In fact, the polarization of votes in favor of BPF and AUDF directly affected the AGP vote bank.
Battle for supremacy: Factionalism in the AGP after the Assembly election of 2006
Brindaban Goswami and his faction also opposed the merger of the AGP and AGP(P). This move by Brindaban Goswami had caused a stir in the AGP house and vice versa. Finally, Goswami, the president of the party, was given an unceremonious farewell at a special general conference of the AGP held at Uddeshna Hall in Guwahati on 2 September.
The homecoming season for the breakaway factions of the AGP
AGP understands people's sentiments better than any national party. This time, several top party leaders felt that a tie-up with the BJP would be detrimental to the interests of the AGP. After the 2014 parliamentary elections, two more prominent AGP leaders, Hitendra Nath Goswami and Chandra Mohan Patowary, left the AGP and joined the BJP.
The postscripts: Culmination of degenerative factionalism
The BPF was able to increase its tally to 12 seats and secured its vote bank in the bodo heartlands. Even the regional party failed to win even a single seat in 21 out of the total 27 districts and its representation is limited to Nagaon, Lakhimpur, Bongaigaon, hailakandi, Sonitpur and Udalguri districts. Next year, the party's leadership was again handed over to Prafulla Kumar Mahanta during the 9th general conference held on 25-26 April 2012.
