Guwahati, March 6 : The Opposition AGP today put its poll preparations on the fast track by convening a meeting of its steering committee tomorrow. It will discuss the seat-sharing deal with the BJP announced in New Delhi today and shortlist candidates for the two-phase Lok Sabha elections in the state next month.

The ruling Congress will also hold a two-day conference of the party’s grassroots leaders from Saturday. The conference will lay emphasis on showcasing the UPA’s achievements and tackling the “unholy alliance” of the BJP and the AGP for the Lok Sabha elections.

Three of Assam’s 14 seats will go to the hustings on April 16 and the remaining 11 on April 23. In the outgoing Lok Sabha, the AGP and the BJP have two seats each while the Congress has nine. One seat is being held by an Independent.

AGP spokesperson Apurba Bhattacharjee said the steering committee would finalise nominations for the six seats, where the AGP will field candidates, tomorrow evening and find out ways to get the best deal out of its seat-sharing deal.

“Now that the key issue of seat sharing has been sorted out, the party leadership will finalise the candidates and draw a blueprint on how to maximise the gains. The seat sharing was done on basis of the winnability of the parties in the said constituencies. We are very confident of doing well. There is no question of selling out to the BJP,” he said.

BJP spokesperson Charan Deka also sounded bullish on the seat-sharing deal. “It is very important for the AGP and the BJP to work together to save Assam and India from the Congress,” he added.

Despite the leaders’ optimism, many feel that conceding the prestigious Guwahati seat to the BJP by the state’s main Opposition party could help the ruling Congress expose the AGP’s lack of confidence.

AGP insiders said the candidates have already been decided and tomorrow’s meeting is a mere formality. According to them, barring last-minute changes, sitting MPs Sarbananda Sonowal (Dibrugarh), Arun Sarma (Lakhimpur), Joseph Toppo (Tezpur), Gunin Hazarika (Kaliabor), Bhupen Ray (Barpeta) and Sabdha Rabha (Kokrajhar) are sure to be fielded.

Congress spokesperson Rajesh Joshi said the party’s two day-conference at Sarusajai would mark the formal launch of the party’s poll campaign and would be attended by the AICC in-charge of the state unit, Veerappa Moily. “We are confident of doing well and see no threat from the unholy BJP-AGP alliance,” he added.

The Congress’s optimism is based on the assumption that the seat-sharing by the Opposition could polarise the voters along religious lines with the minority backing the ruling party despite threats from the AUDF, whose talks with the CPM on seat-sharing has come to no avail.