The ruling Asom Gana Parishad has been completely routed. The opposition Congress(I) with its ally, the UMF, bagged 11 of the 14 seats, while the BJP and the ASDC won one seat each. Independent captured the Bodo-dominated Kokrajhar seat.

It has been an unmistable verdict against the ruling AGP. In fact it has been a double defeat for the AGP. In eight of the 11 seats won by the Cong(I)-UMF combine, the BJP, which has emerged as the main rival of the Cong(I), relegated the AGP to the third position.

Several reasons have been put forward for the debacle suffered by the AGP. The first is the party's total failure, in the last 21 months, to do any development work, even repairing the National Highways which are in a pitiable condition.

Secondly, this time the party lost whatever support it had gained from the minority community in 1996, with the Muslims voting almost en masse for the Cong(I) The reason ... was explained (is that) the AGP government had done nothing for the Muslims: they did not get even a peon or a chowkidar's job ...

Also ... this election was not for government-making in the State. It was for making a Government at the Centre. And in this, the primary concern of the Muslims was to prevent the BJP from coming to power. "The AGP cannot check the BJP even if it wins all the 14 seats in

Assam. It is the Congress(I) which can do it ... " Thirdly, the atrocities committed by security forces on innocent people on mere suspicion on course of anti- insurgency operations, had alienated large sections of the rural masses from the ruling party.