GUWAHATI, August 7: The ruling four-party alliance in Assam today announced that it would contest 12 of the 14 Lok Sabha seats in the state. The Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) president and Chief Minister, Prafulla Kumar Mahanta, announced this at a press conference after a meeting of the four partners -AGP, Communist Party of India (CPI), Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPM) and United People's Party of Assam (UPPA). Mahanta said UPPA would contest the Silchar seat, CPI would contest from Dhubri while CPM would field candidates in Barpeta and Karimganj constituencies. The AGP will contest the eight seats - Lakhimpur, Tezpur, Mangaldoi, Dibrugarh, Jorhat, Kaliabor, Nagaon and Guwahati The party had contested 10 Lok Sabha seats in the 1998 polls. The ruling alliance has decided to support the People's Democratic Front (PDF) candidate in the reserved Kokrajhar constituency. The decision to have an electoral alliance with the PDF was arrived at after the Bodo political party agreed not to field candidates in Tezpur and Mangaldoi. However, the PDF acting president, D Brahma, who also attended the press meet, said it was only a "seat adjustment" and not an electoral alliance. He said, "We have responded positively to the AGP's request for seat adjustments in the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls". On the Diphu parliamentary constituency, Mahanta said the alliance partners were yet to take a decision whether to contest or support any other party candidate's. "We will take a decision in a few days", he said. The alliance is yet to announce the names of the candidates. The alliance leaders said they would have a common minimum programme in addition to their respective party manifestos for the Lok Sabha elections. The common minimum programme would be announced on a later date. (Staff Reporter; The Assam Tribune; Guwahati; August 8, 1999)

AIZAWL, August 8: The Myanmar Army accidentally entered 300 metres inside Indian territory last week while chasing a group of rebels, two of whom were later killed, authoritative intelligence sources here claimed. Eight days back in Mizoram's Chhimtuipui district at the India-Myanmar-Bangladesh trijunction, a Myanmar Army patrol, while chasing a group of Arakan Muslim rebels, entered about 300 metres inside the Indian territory. In the subsequent encounter, two of the rebels were killed, senior officials of a central security agency in the state said. The Arakanese are an ethnic group in Myanmar, considered close to Bangladesh. According to the officials, the rebels had kidnapped and later killed a local trader in Arakan state, who, they claimed, was also an informer of the Myanmar Army. The Myanmar Army retaliated and accidentally entered Indian territory, which is not so well-defined in area, officials said. The violation could not be detected immediately as the local BSF post was some 36 km away. (United News of India; The Assam Tribune; Guwahati; August 9, 1999)

NEW DELHI, August 9: The Election Commission has decided to hold by-elections on August 30 to fill a vacancy in the Rajya Sabha following the death of sitting member Parag Chaliha. A notification for the poll would be issued on August 13 and the last date for filing of nominations is August 20. While scrutiny would take place on the following day, the last date for withdrawal would be August 23, an Election Commission press note said today. Counting of votes would take place on August 30. Chaliha, who was elected from Assam, died on June 22. His term was to expire on June 14, 2001. (Press Trust of India; The Assam Tribune; Guwahati; August 10, 1999)

IMPHAL, August 8: Most political leaders in Manipur have engaged their time to find a common candidate for the ensuing Lok Sabha elections. Both the Opposition and ruling parties of the state are yet to decide the consensus candidate. According to Manipur People's Party (MPP) president, Okram Joy Singh, parleys were on to reach an agreement among the six Opposition parties to jointly fight the National Democratic Alliance candidate. He also said that a final decision would be taken on August 9 next. However, MPP has decided to put the party's candidate in the fray in the Inner Manipur constituency. Senior advocate K Mani and senior MPP leader G Joykumar have applied for the party ticket. Sources said Mani is the likely choice. At the same time, the election committee meeting of the Congress on Friday last was unable to take any decision concerning party nomination. Former MP N Tombi, Nimaichand Luwang, and C Manihar are seeking the Inner Manipur ticket while former MP Meijinglung Kamson, R K Theko, AS Arthur and Deli Mao are seeking a ticket the Outer Manipur seat. Party sources said N Tombi and RK Theko are the likely candidates. According to sources, MPP, CPI, JD, CPM and RJD may desert the Congress in case the latter refuses to change its stand. (Correspondent; The Assam Tribune; Guwahati; August 10, 1999)

KOHIMA, August 9: Shurhozelie, the common candidate of the Nagaland People's Council (NPC) and the Nationalist Democratic Movement (NDM), has resigned from the primary membership of NPC to contest the coming Lok Sabha polls as an independent candidate for the lone Nagaland seat under a free symbol. The two parties snapped all ties with the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) on Thursday last blaming the state BJP unit for trying to impose their will on both the regional parties. Earlier, the Election Commission had derecognised NPC for not participating in the last general elections held in February last year. The Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee has already decided to retain K Asungba Sangtam as its candidate for the seat. The state unit of Lok Shakti is likely to field a candidate. (United News of India; The Assam Tribune; Guwahati; August 10, 1999)

ITANAGAR, August 9: The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) general secretary P Sangma has said the party would contest at least 40 Assembly seats and one parliamentary seat in Arunachal Pradesh. Sangma told newspersons here yesterday that the party would contest 11 Lok Sabha seats in Assam, two each in Meghalaya and Manipur and one in Tripura. The party was yet to take any decision on contesting the elections from Nagaland and Mizoram. Sangma said that the Northeast of the party would be held at Guwahati on August 21 next to coincide with the Quit India Movement and a special manifesto for the Northeast with a 25-year prospective plan would be formally released on the occasion with "peace through development" as its main slogan. (United News of India; The Assam Tribune; Guwahati; August 11, 1999)

ITANAGAR, August 11: The Election Commission has announced a new schedule for simultaneous Assembly and Lok Sabha polls in Arunachal Pradesh. According to an official release here on Tuesday, the notification would be issued on September 7 while the last date for filing of nominations is September 14. Scrutiny would take place the next day. The last date for withdrawal is September 17 and election would be held on October 3. Counting of votes will begin on October 6 and the process is expected to be over by October 10. (The Assam Tribune; Guwahati; August 12, 1999)

NEW DELHI, August 11: The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has decided to focus on the Northeast in the coming Lok Sabha elections by notching up electoral alliances with regional parties and announcing a special development package for the area in its election manifesto. The party has decided to field candidates in 18 out of the 25 Lok Sabha seats in the Northeast. It has also reached an electoral understanding with United Minority Front (UMF) in Assam, United Democratic Party (UDP) in Meghalaya and the TUJS in Tripura to put up joint candidates in several constituencies. The NCP feels that it stands a chance of doing ``fairly well'' in the Northeast with veteran leader P.A. Sangma leading the party's campaign in the various states. A special NE package with ``Peace through Development'' as its main theme forms part of this effort to woo voters in the area and will be part of the manifesto to be released later this month. The party will be contesting all the seats in Assam except two while in Meghalaya, Sangma's home turf, it will fight all the seats. It will fight one out of the two Lok Sabha seats in Arunachal Pradesh and 40 out of the 60 Assembly constituencies in the state. It will also put up a candidate in one of the two seats in Manipur but will not contest in Mizoram and Nagaland since it does not have any organisation there. In keeping with the importance being attached to the Northeast, the party has decided to release its election manifesto, including the NE package, at a special convention in Guwahati on August 21. A core committee comprising veteran leader Sharad Sinha as chairman and Sangma as convenor and with Pradesh unit officebearers as members has been set up to finalise the list of candidates for the NE to be announced at the convention. According to Sangma, the party had also reached an understanding with the JMM in South Bihar and negotiations over seat-sharing and putting up common candidates were at a very advanced stage. He said the NCP-JMM tie up would get a further boost with the slated merger of all the JMM factions. Giving details of the NE package, senior leader P.A. Sangma said today that the party had prepared a development plan for the area with a 25-year perspective. ``The package envisages greater presence of Central government developmental agencies in the area and the integration of the economies of the NE states with those of neighbouring Bangladesh and other South East Asian countries,'' he said. He added that the thrust would be on development which would bring about peace in the region rather than wait for peace before commencing development. Meanwhile, the party's working committee is meeting tomorrow to discuss the draft manifesto and review electoral tie-ups in various states especially with the Deve Gowda-led Janata Dal (Secular) in Karnataka and Maharasthra and Samajwadi Party in UP and Maharashtra. (Sanjiv Sinha; The Indian Express; New Delhi; August 12, 1999)

SHILLONG, August 11: The growing demand for implementation of the Instrument of Accession, by which 25 Khasi states joined India in 1947-48, today received a fresh impetus as a Syiems, Lyngdohs and Sirdars, the heads of the states, urged the Union government to give effect to the provisions of the long-forgotten instrument. The demand was raised at a meeting of the Dorbar of the heads of the traditional institutions comprising the Syiems (equivalent of erstwhile Rajas in other parts of the country prior to Independence), Lyngdohs and Sirdars at the office of the Syiem of Mylliem here. The Dorbar expressed dissatisfaction at the present political system, which was not in conformity with the Instrument of Accession, on the ground of weakening the traditional institutions. Several traditional heads questioned the validity of the autonomous district council by contending that the 25 States were wrongly included into the Sixth Schedule without the people's consent. Others alleged that "the district council was created for the benefit of a few self-interested persons". The crucial meeting of the Dorbar decided to meet the national and regional political parties to urge upon them to address the long-pending issue. If required, the Dorbar would seek Constitutional amendments to incorporate the instrument in the Constitution, Dorbar sources said. The day-long meeting elected the new officebearers of the Dorbar with L M Syiem, the Syiem of Hima Mylliem as president and Balajied S Syiem, the Syiem of Hima Khyrim as secretary. The issue promises to become an issue in the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls in Meghalaya as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has already included it in its policy statement for the state while the Nationalist Congress Party (NC) has also assured its inclusion in the party's poll manifesto. (Bedabrata Lahkar; The Assam Tribune; Guwahati; August 12, 1999)

NEW DELHI, August 12: Despite the ``Sangma factor'', the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has failed to make inroads into northeastern states which have among them 24 Lok Sabha seats. Political observers believe that former Lok Sabha speaker P.A. Sangma would win from Tura in Meghalaya again. However, they feel the NCP would not be able to win Shillong, the second Lok Sabha seat in Meghalaya as the United Minority Front (UMF) is well entrenched there. ``Sangma would himself win again from Tura but his party has little chance of winning from Shillong,'' a senior leader close to Sangma said. Significantly, despite several rounds of talks, Sangma has failed in reaching an electoral understanding with Assam chief minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta. Assam has 14 Lok Sabha seats and Mahanta' party, the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), plans to contest all of them, along with the CPI, the CPM and the People's Party of Assam led by A.M. Mazumdar. Another factor which could affect the NCP prospects in the region is the installation of Anowara Taimur, former Assam chief minister as working president of the Assam PCC. Her appointment is apparently aimed at winning the support of the minority community. Although Ms Taimur's appointment has annoyed PCC chief Tarun Gogoi (who is contesting the ensuing election from Kaliabor) and his supporters, it is learnt that she would hold her new post only till the elections are over (October 4). The Congress recently got a shot in the arm when Mehmud Madani, son of Ansad Madani, president of Jamait Ulema-e-Hind, left the Samajwadi Party and joined the Congress. The latter is already in the Congress. (Inder Sawhney, The Times of India, New Delhi, August 13, 1999)