Friday, March 10 2006 10:58 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: Ruling Congress and main opposition Asom Gana Parishad will be locked in a do-or-die battle in next month's assembly elecions in Assam with Congress hoping to break the anti-incumbency jinx and AGP vying for survival under a new leader.

Congress, under Tarun Gogoi's leadership with 78 MLAs in its kitty in the 126-member assembly, was controlling the state's affairs with a firm grip in the last five years.

But the big question is whether the ruling party could break Assam's history of having alternative party Government every five years in the last three decades.

Chief Minister Gogoi thinks so. "We will definitely come to power again," Gogoi told sources here.

"Good governance, massive development which we have undertaken in last five years and the peace process that we have initiated with the ULFA are the major achievements of our government," he said.

Gogoi said his party would like to conduct poll campaign on a comparative study of the performance of the previous AGP government and performance of his Government in the last five years.

But AGP thinks otherwise. The regional party, which came to power twice in Assamin 1985 and 1996under Prafulla Kumar Mahanta's leadership, has a new leader in Brindaban Goswami this time.

Goswami claims 'no one will vote for Congress again'considering its alleged 'all round failure' in the last five years.

"At least 10,000 people have lost their lives in violence in the last five years, poll promises of Congress were not fulfilled, there is total breakdown of law and order and corruption is everywhere," 58-year-old Goswami, who was education minister in first AGP government (1985-90), said.

The AGP is trying to form an alliance with 'secular democratic' parties, including CPI, CPI(M) and Asom United Democratic Front of minorities scotching speculation of having and alliance with BJP with whom the party had an alliance in 2001 Assembly election.

"There is no question of an alliance with BJP. We would like to maintain equal distance from both Congress and BJP," Goswami said.

However, BJP is trying to having a seat adjustment, if not an alliance, with some small parties of the state.

"We are not going for an alliance but for seat adjustment," BJP's state unit president Indramoni Bora told sources over phone from Guwahati, refusing to disclose the name of the parties with whom the party may have tie-up.

Bora said the party wanted to stop Congress' return to power.

Asked whether BJP would offer support to AGP if the election result throws up a hung Assembly, he said, "We may consider giving support to any like-minded party, except Congress".