International Journal of Social Science Research (IJSSR)

Fragmentation of the Political Parties: A Study of Asom Gana Parishad in Assam

A political party is a very important instrument of a democracy. A democratic country cannot just survive without the existence of political parties. Political parties are essentially some organized groups. They have a common purpose to contest elections and to capture the power of the state and its government so that it can direct the country’s development process in line with their own ideological orientations and to formulate policies in accordance with their party manifestoes. It is natural to occur conflicts within political parties from time to time due to different perceptions or opinions on political issues, as well as due to personal rivalries for positions, power and influence. Conflicts are inevitable within political parties and they are also regarded as legitimate, but at the same time, they must be argued out in a correct manner. There is always a concurrence of power and influence within political parties which is a part of their everyday business. There are lots of sources or reasons which contribute towards creating conflicts among political parties. However, these conflicts must be resolved through democratic and transparent procedures. The AGP is one of the most important regional political parties of the state of Assam. The party came to power in the state for two complete terms. It was also a part of the National Front Government from December 1989 to November 1990. The party was an important coalition partner of V.P Singh, H.D. Deve Gowda and Indar Kumar Gujral Coalition Government. The party faced splits for numerous times because of differences among its leaders. This paper has made an attempt to throw some light on the conflicts of political parties specially of Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) in Assam. Key words- political party, conflict, conflict resolution, AGP