A group of AGP members, unhappy at the party’s alliance with the BJP, on Sunday issued an appeal to the people not to vote for its candidates in the Lok Sabha polls.

They made the appeal after holding a meeting here.

The AGP has put up candidates in three — Dhubri, Barpeta and Kaliabor — of the 14 Lok Sabha constituencies in the state. There has been discontent within the AGP ranks over its tie-up with the BJP because of the latter’s support for the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019.

Speaking to reporters, convener of the group, Ashwin Kumar Mahanta, accused the AGP’s present leadership of compromising with its principles and ideals and urged the people not to vote for the party candidates for joining hands with the BJP.

He said they have formed a 20-member committee, which will visit different constituencies — particularly Dhubri, Barpeta and Kaliabor where the AGP has fielded candidates — between April 8 and 21 to create awareness among voters not to vote for the candidates who have directly or indirectly supported the bill by allying with the BJP.

“Between April 24 and May 22, we will launch a campaign to persuade the AGP office-bearers to quit their respective posts to put pressure on the party leadership. Our campaign will start from Golaghat, which is the home district of AGP president Atul Bora,” Mahanta said.

“We are certain the AGP will not be able to win a single seat in this election. After the result is declared, we will hold a mass convention to reconstitute the party,” he said.

He said they have received support of a large section of AGP leaders and workers.

“We are confident that our founder president and former two-time chief minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta and other leaders who have opposed the alliance with the BJP will support our move, since he has publicly opposed the alliance and urged people to vote for candidates who oppose the bill,” he said.

These AGP members are infuriated at the party leadership for allying with the BJP despite the latter making it clear that it will table the bill in Parliament again if it returns to power. The AGP, however, issued a statement saying Ashwin Kumar was not a member of the party since he was expelled for indulging in “criminal activities”.

The party also expelled two members of its women wing, Saraswati Das and Dipti Sarma, on charges of violating party discipline.