GUWAHATI: Till the other day, BJP was exuding confidence that it was capable of contesting the polls on its own strength without AGP. So, what made BJP and Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) patch up again just three days after the parliamentary elections dates were announced?According to BJP insiders, primarily two issues outweighed the previous stance of fighting election alone for reviving the alliance. The first and foremost reason is BJP wanted to ensure that it did not lose the 'core voters' without the alliance, especially when the protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill created a substantially strong anti-saffron party mood among the electorates. By 'core voters', BJP meant the Assamese voters who were mostly angry over the bill and supported the statewide agitation.According to BJP, the saffron party is hoping to win 12 out of 14 parliamentary seats in the state after the tie-up with AGP. BJP state president Ranjeet Kumar Dass said the saffron party was counting on 11 seats prior to the alliance . "After the alliance, we are confident of winning 12 seats," he added.The second reason for the patch-up with AGP is it will help BJP to overcome the challenges in at least three parliamentary seats where the saffron party cannot contest on its own strength. Congress or All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) might take the benefit in such a scenario. The three parliamentary seats are Kaliabor, Barpeta and Dhubri. While Dhubri and Barpeta are minority-dominated constituencies currently under the AIUDF's hold, Kaliabor, which spans over central and upper Assam districts, is with Congress.BJP insiders said giving these three seats to AGP candidates would help prevent Congress and AIUDF from reaping the benefits of division of votes. BJP's another ally, Bodoland People's Front, will field its candidate in the Kokrajhar (ST) reserved parliamentary seat in Bodoland Territorial Area District - a Sixth Schedule-administered area.Although BJP won a series of local elections amid rising anti-bill protests, it did not want to take any chance in the Lok Sabha polls, especially in checking Congress. BJP won majority of panchayat bodies in December last year despite facing intense anti-bill protests. "If there is an option that can benefit our party, why should we not take it? That is why the alliance. It is mutually beneficial for both BJP and AGP. Stopping splitting of votes is one of the greatest benefits that we are going to reap from the alliance," said BJP spokesperson Swapnanil Baruah.In January, AGP had walked out of the coalition in protest against the citizenship bill that seeks to grant citizenship to religious minorities from Bangladesh , Pakistan and Afghanistan , who had taken shelter in India till December 31, 2014. AGP said the bill is against the spirit of the Assam Accord, signed in 1985, after a six-year-long anti-foreigners' movement.Since the snapping of ties with AGP, BJP has maintained its winning streak in the local elections that made the saffron party confident of contesting the Lok Sabha polls on its own strength. "BJP is confident of its strength in majority of the parliamentary seats. But there are a few seats where there are challenges. The alliance will help us to overcome these challenges," said Subhash Dutta said, another BJP spokesperson.

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