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Viewing cable 06CALCUTTA71, ASSAM STARTS STATE ASSEMBLY ELECTIONEERING

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Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
06CALCUTTA71 2006-02-16 13:06 2011-08-25 00:00 UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY Consulate Kolkata
VZCZCXRO9561
PP RUEHBI RUEHCI RUEHLH RUEHPW
DE RUEHCI #0071/01 0471306
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 161306Z FEB 06
FM AMCONSUL CALCUTTA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0787
INFO RHEFDHP/DIA DHP-1 WASHINGTON DC
RUEHCI/AMCONSUL CALCUTTA 0962
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI PRIORITY 0731
RUEHCG/AMCONSUL CHENNAI 0289
RUEHBI/AMCONSUL MUMBAI 0289
RUEHKA/AMEMBASSY DHAKA 0168
RUEHKT/AMEMBASSY KATHMANDU 0173
RUEHGO/AMEMBASSY RANGOON 0094
RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD 0119
RUEHLH/AMCONSUL LAHORE 0063
RUEHKP/AMCONSUL KARACHI 0065
RUEHPW/AMCONSUL PESHAWAR 0049
RHMFIUU/CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HI
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 CALCUTTA 000071 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PTER SOCI BG IN
SUBJECT: ASSAM STARTS STATE ASSEMBLY ELECTIONEERING 
 
REF: CALCUTTA 00063 
 
1. (SBU) SUMMARY:  On February 11 Congress Party Chairwoman 
Sonia Gandhi traveled to the Northeast Indian state of Assam to 
inaugurate her party's campaign for the May 2006 state assembly 
elections.  Her presence reflected Congress' concern about 
retaining its hold on Assam, following recent setbacks in Bihar 
and Karnataka and the prospect of seat-losses in the West Bengal 
and Kerala May assembly elections.  In Assam the main opposition 
parties, the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and Bharatiya Janata Party 
(BJP), are weak and fragmented, but Congress has also lost 
support from the critical Muslim community.  In a brazen appeal 
to the Muslims, Gandhi offered to amend the Foreigners Act to 
prevent deportation of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants.  Her 
visit was marred by violence in the wake of the death of a 
suspected United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) member in 
Indian Army custody (REFTEL).  However, Gandhi quickly condemned 
the death, forcing the Army to apologize.  The Congress 
government in Assam has been pushing the military to institute a 
ceasefire in its operations against ULFA.  While the political 
situation is still very fluid two months prior to the election, 
it appears that Congress will lose its current outright 
majority, but will likely cobble together a coalition government 
in Assam.  End Summary. 
 
2.  (U) Elections for the 126-member Assam legislative assembly 
are scheduled in May.  Assam, with a population of 26 million, 
borders Bangladesh and Bhutan.  Its highly diverse population 
suffers several ethnic insurgencies and persistent violence. 
The largest ethnic insurgent group, ULFA, demands a separate 
homeland for the Assamese and is listed on the USG's Other 
Selected Terrorist Organization (OSTO) list.  In addition, a 
continuous influx of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants has swelled 
the Muslim community to 28 per cent of the population. 
 
3.  (U) Congress dominates the present Assembly with 71 seats, 
while opposition parties the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) has 20, 
the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) 8, the Nationalist Congress 
Party (NCP) 3, the Autonomous State Demand Committee (ASDC) 2, 
the All India Trinamul Congress (AITC) 1, the Samata Party 1, 
the Samajwadi Party 1 and Independents 19.  Congress has 
remained relatively united.  The main regional party, the AGP, 
on the other hand, is sharply divided.  Brindabon Goswami leads 
the original party, while former Chief Minister Prafulla Mahanta 
leads a breakaway AGP (Progressive) faction.  The BJP is 
attempting to persuade the AGP to form an alliance, but so far 
has not been successful.  Meanwhile Mahanta, despite some degree 
of popularity, is unable to build an effective organization with 
his (Progressive) party. 
 
4.  (SBU) The Muslim vote is likely to determine whether 
Congress can retain its majority.  The Muslim community's 
importance has been magnified by a steady influx of Bangladeshi 
immigrants and Muslims presently hold 13 Congress seats in the 
assembly.  Traditionally, Congress had been the party of choice 
for the Muslims as it protected illegal Bangladeshi migrants 
from deportation.  Congress also supported the Illegal Migrants 
Determination by Tribunals Act (IMDT) of 1983, applicable only 
in Assam, which made identification, detection and deportation 
of foreigners in Assam incredibly complex and protected 
post-1971 illegal Bangladeshi migrants. 
 
5.  (SBU) Congress' relations with the Muslims suffered a 
setback in July 2005, when the Supreme Court ruled the IMDT 
unconstitutional.  Assam, like the rest of India, is now subject 
to the Foreigners' Act of 1946, which requires the police to 
deport illegal residents.  Muslims in Assam criticized the 
Congress for failing to support the IMDT in court and in 
November 2005, formed a Muslim political group the United 
Democratic Front (UDF).  UDF Leader Hafiz Rashid Chowdhury 
(protect) said that the UDF is running on the slogan of 
"Anti-Congress, Anti-BJP." 
 
6.  (SBU) The Congress has tried to appease the Muslims by not 
enforcing the Foreigners Act and in her recent visit, Gandhi 
offered to amend the Act.  According to Assam Congress Spokesman 
Abdul Khaleque (protect), the amendment would effectively bring 
the IMDT provisions under the Foreigners Act and again create 
special exceptions and a tribunal for Assam.  Also on February 
11, Gandhi visited Barpeta, which has a large concentration of 
 
CALCUTTA 00000071  002 OF 002 
 
 
Bangladeshi Muslims, and laid the foundation stone for a new 
medical college. 
 
7.  (SBU) Khaleque indicated that Congress' efforts have not 
been successful, as the UDF has established an alliance with the 
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), may soon conclude similar 
agreements with CPM and CPI, and is also in discussions with the 
AGP.  Khaleque conceded that Congress would not hold on to its 
current 71 seats this election but claimed it would not slip 
below 60.  Other contacts believe that Congress could drop to as 
low as 40 to 50 seats. 
 
8. (SBU) The other complicating factor in the electoral politics 
is ULFA's continuing insurgency.  According to post contacts, 
the state Congress' goal is to persuade New Delhi to stop army 
operations against ULFA because no party can win elections 
without ULFA's tacit approval.  (Former CM Mahanta lost power in 
2001 when ULFA turned from friend to foe, after he failed to 
prevent army operations against the group.)  On February 5, the 
Indian Army detained suspected ULFA supporter Ajit Mahanta, who 
subsequently died in custody.  That in turn resulted in the 
February 10 police shooting of 8 persons protesting Mahanta's 
death.  Gandhi was quick to condemn the violence and compelled 
the Army to apologize.  Analysts feel that the state Congress 
and ULFA are probably negotiating an understanding.  ULFA would 
not want a BJP-led government in Assam, since the BJP-led GOI 
supported attacks on ULFA camps in Bhutan in 2003. 
 
9. (SBU) COMMENT:  Facing mutinous Muslims and persistent 
insurgency, the Congress party is struggling to maintain its 
government in Assam.  While Assam is not a major state in the 
normal calculus of Indian politics, its loss to Congress would 
be embarrassing following the recent failures in Bihar, 
Karnataka and anticipated seat losses in West Bengal and Kerala. 
 However, Congress' opposition seems very fragmented, which 
gives the Party hope.  Although too early to predict the 
results, the consensus appears to be that Congress will retain 
power in Assam but with a reduced majority that will force it to 
go to other parties to form a coalition government. 
JARDINE