Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has said that the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) is free to decide how many seats it wants to contest in the upcoming Assembly elections, and that he has “no right to comment” on the internal decisions of the ally party.
Speaking to the media in Guwahati, Sarma said that the BJP and AGP share a long-standing understanding that is based on mutual trust rather than formal negotiations. He made it clear that AGP is an independent political party and not controlled by the BJP.
“AGP is not run by BJP. JP Nadda is not the president of AGP Atul Bora is,” he said. “So if AGP says it wants to contest 100 seats, I have no right to comment on that.” 
The Chief Minister said that discussions on seat-sharing will only take place if AGP chooses to contest the polls as part of the BJP-led alliance. In that case, he said, AGP president Atul Bora and BJP leader Dilip Saikia will discuss and decide the final seat allocation.
“If AGP wants to fight the election together with us, then Atul Bora and Dilip Saikia will sit together and decide how many seats AGP will get,” Sarma explained. “But if AGP wants to contest on its own, BJP cannot stop them.”
Sarma also dismissed speculation about differences between the two parties. He said that he remains in regular contact with senior AGP leaders, including Phani Bhusan Choudhury, and that the alliance is functioning smoothly.
“We are together in the cabinet, so we talk every day,” he said. “It’s not like our relationship is sour.”
According to the Chief Minister, the BJP and AGP do not rely on formal press announcements or public meetings to hold discussions. Instead, conversations often take place informally.
“We don’t need to organise meetings and inform the media professionally,” he said. “We can discuss things personally. You may not even know when our discussions take place.”
Sarma added that the working style of the BJP–AGP alliance is different from that of other political parties. “The way Raijor Dal and Congress hold official meetings, BJP and AGP don’t function like that,” he said. “We are like brothers.”
The Chief Minister also spoke about his personal rapport with AGP president Atul Bora, mentioning that Bora lives near his residence and that they can meet and talk at any time.
He said that once the discussions are completed, both parties will jointly announce their final decision on seat-sharing.
“AGP and BJP will decide among ourselves, and one day we will simply announce it before you,” Sarma said.
