Assam’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party on January 27 announced that it would contest the upcoming assembly polls in alliance with its new ally, the United People’s Party Liberal (UPPL), instead of existing ally Bodoland People’s Front (BPF).
The BJP fought against the BPF in the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) polls in December despite ruling Assam together since 2016 along with the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP).
BPF has three ministers in the Sarbananda Sonowal government.
Addressing a gathering in Udalguri, bordering Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh, senior BJP leader and state finance and health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that his party has decided to fight the Assam assembly polls in coalition with UPPL.
“We would announce seat sharing with UPPL in February,” Sarma told the rally, organised to celebrate the first anniversary of the signing of the Bodo peace accord with the Central government on January 27, 2020 in New Delhi in the presence of Union home minister Amit Shah.
“It is 100 per cent certain that the BJP and UPPL would contest the assembly polls together. In BTC areas, BJP would contest the assembly election under the leadership of UPPL,” said Sarma, who is also the convener of the BJP-led North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA) alliance of regional parties.
Assam BJP flags-off mobile van campaign
The BJP on January 27 also flagged off mobile vans to seek public views for the party manifesto.
Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal flagged off the vans in presence of state party president Ranjeet Kumar Dass, Sarma and Guwahati MP Queen Oja.
Party sources said that 50 vans would travel all 126 assembly constituencies to seek public inputs.
Addressing the gathering, Sonowal told the party workers to create awareness of the good work being done by the state government.
Assembly elections in Assam, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry are expected in April-May.
