Guwahati, March 11 (IANS): The Lok Sabha polls in Assam will not be a mere battle of the ballot for the state's most prominent regional party Asom Gana Parishad (AGP). The party will actually be fighting a battle for its very existence in the state.

Born out of the six-year-long anti-foreigners agitation between 1979 and 1985, the AGP is battling for its survival following its dipping popularity among people in the last few years.

The party, which came to power in 1985 mainly by assuring to rid Assam of illegal Bangladeshi migrants, however, did nothing in this regard despite running governments for two terms -- during 1985-1990 and 1996-2001.

"The party has failed to fulfill the aspirations of the people of Assam. Lack of political farsightedness, proper leadership, political vision and attitude of some top leaders of the party are responsible for the party's debacle," said former AGP vice president Apurba Kumar Bhattacharyya.

The AGP has also been suffering due to splits engineered by its leaders. Many prominent leaders have already left the party to join other political parties in the last three years.

Former party president Chandra Mohan Patowary and senior leader Hitendra Nath Goswami resigned from the party recently and joined the BJP Monday. Patowary is likely to contest the polls from Barpeta on a BJP ticket.

Leaders like Atul Bora, Bhattacharyya and Jagadish Bhuyan had left the party in the past.

Another prominent leader who had earlier left the AGP is present president of the BJP state unit, Sarbananda Sonowal.

Sonowal, a former AGP Lok Sabha member, resigned in 2011 due to dissatisfaction with the party's senior leadership.

However, AGP president Prafulla Kumar Mahanta has termed as "personal ambition" the defections of the leaders, and that they would not affect the regional party.

"While some leaders have left us, some new members have joined. The party will perform well in the forthcoming polls," he said.