Earlier, Chandra Mohan Patowary resigned from the leadership of the legislative wing of the party to facilitate the election of Mahanta. Patowary will, however, continue to head the organizational wing as before. On being elected leader, Mahanta said his first duty would be to “take the party agenda to the people” and to provide an effective leadership to the Legislature Party.

Mahanta's rehabilitation in the party is both an opportunity and a challenge for him: opportunity to live down his controversial past which sometimes impinged on his personal and family life, and challenge to rebuild his party to become a force to be reckoned with and to project it as a possible alternative to the Congress. Though his election was unanimous, it was not entirely hassle-free. Twenty-two of the 24 MLAs attended the AGPLP meeting. One of the two who stayed away was Brindaban Goswami, who defeated Mahanta in a straight contest for party presidentship at the Tezpur conference of the AGP in December, 2003.

There are some others who are not happy with Mahanta's election as floor leader. They pointed out that two years ago when the General Council of the AGP adopted a resolution on the “unification” of the breakaway factions (one headed by Mahanta and another by former minister Atul Bora) with the parent party, it also decided that no leader of the “offshoot” parties would be given any top post for three years. One of them is Liaquat Ali Khan, the MLA from Chenga, who wants Goswami back because “he has a clean image.” Outside the AGP, the very powerful All Assam Students' Union (AASU) which carried on the six-year-long anti-foreigner movement from 1979 to 1985, remains implacably hostile to Mahanta for his alleged “corruption.”

As of now, the Congress remains firmly saddled in power, despite some big scams like the multi-million rupee swindle of central funds given to the North Cachar Hill Autonomous District Council. Some of the money is believed to have been siphoned off to the rebel outfit Dima Halam Daoga (Jewel faction). The scam is still under investigation. Then there is a series of embarrassing shenanigans of some close cabinet colleagues of Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi. The CM's health is also causing some worry to his friends and colleagues. He has just returned to Guwahati after spending a month in a Mumbai hospital where he underwent bypass heart surgery. Election campaigning will mean physical strain.

But the main advantage of the Congress is the disunity not only in the Opposition camp but also within the parties themselves. The shocking venality of the Opposition legislators, irrespective of parties, came out in the open during the Rajya Sabha elections earlier this year. As many as eight Opposition MLAs voted against the lone candidate fielded by the entire Opposition: two from AUDF, four from BJP and one each from AGP and ASDC. In the event, the Congress won both the RS seats, while on its own strength it should have won only one.

How far Mahanta succeeds in enthusing the party rank and file and winning back the confidence of the people will be keenly watched by all. Indeed, that will be his litmus test. He lost the party presidentship in 2003 and was thrown out of the party in 2005. That the party had to bring him back after five long years is itself an admission that without his leadership the AGP fared badly and realised that he was indispensable. That is a plus point to start with.

Mahanta will also have to define his party's position on a number of issues, especially vis-à-vis the proposed peace talks with ULFA which have perpetually remained in an “about-to-begin” stage for nearly a year. In his latest move, the ULFA C-in-C Paresh Barua has indicated that he is all for talks “provided the core issue of sovereignty is discussed”, knowing full well that the Centre will never agree to this. His colleagues in Assam - either in jail and or out on bail - are also not willing to give up the sovereignty demand. So the peace talks remain stalemated. Will Mahanta be able to play any role in this as the Leader of the Opposition? Rather doubtful, given the clear-cut stand that he took against ULFA while he was Chief Minister.

But if either Gogoi or Mahanta is able to break this stalemate before the Assembly elections and persuade the ULFA to come to the discussion table, it will create an immense fund of goodwill for the successful leader. (IPA Service)