Asom Sangrami Mancha announces that they are planning to contest elections

United Liberation Front of Assam cadres who fought an armed battle for "sovereign Assam" and later surrendered are now planning to contest next year's (2016) Assembly election in at least 10 seats as Independents and support a new regional party in other constituencies, reports The Telegraph. 

 All Assam Surrendered United Liberation Front of Asom Samittee (AASUS) - an umbrella body of the former rebels - announced on December 8 that they are planning to contest the polls as over 7,000 cadres who laid down their arms since 1992-93 had not been properly rehabilitated. The AASUS complained that of the 7,392 ULFA cadres who laid down arms, only 165 were given ex gratia of INR 1.5 lakh each by the Government.

"We have decided to support the newly constituted regional party Asom Sangrami Mancha. We may support them because Assam needs a strong regional party. AGP, although it won elections twice, betrayed the people of the state and failed to drive out Bangladesh migrants and could not protect the interests of the indigenous people." The Samittee members will stage a demonstration at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on December 29 demanding introduction of the inner-line permit (ILP) system in Assam, declaring it a tribal state.