GUWAHATI: In election-bound Assam, the alliance between the BJP and the regional United People’s Party Liberal (UPPL) seemed to have strained.
The first indication arose when the BJP finalised its alliance for all 15 seats in the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR). It appeared that the BJP had sidelined the UPPL while stitching a seat-sharing deal with the Bodoland People’s Front (BPF), the UPPL’s biggest rival.
On March 9, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had told the media that the BPF would contest 11 seats and the BJP would contest the remaining four seats. He stated that the BPF was given 11 seats as it is the largest political party in the BTR.
“If the UPPL decides to ally, it has to be with the BPF on the 11 seats and not with us (BJP). As we are contesting from only four seats, there is no scope for a seat-sharing understanding with the UPPL,” Sarma had stated.
Later that day, UPPL president Pramod Boro was elected to the Rajya Sabha uncontested and he had told the media that he was the official declared candidate of the UPPL and no others.
In a letter dated March 10, addressed to BJP’s Assam president Dilip Saikia, the UPPL had sought a clarification on its status in the NDA for the Assembly election.
“Given the recent political development in Assam, especially statements in the media by different BJP leadership, the Core Committee of UPPL has decided to seek formal status on the NDA alliance for the ensuing Assam Assembly election. Therefore, we request you to kindly formally inform us on the status of UPPL in the NDA alliance…” the UPPL’s letter read.
The BJP state president has not yet replied. However, the UPPL has since decided to contest all 15 seats in the BTR.
According to observers, the BJP is facing a challenge in its bastion, Upper Assam, which has 25 seats. The 15 seats in the BTR are crucial for the NDA, considering the anti-incumbency factor against the BJP, which has been in power in the State since 2016.
The Opposition parties do not have a solid base in the BTR, which comprises the five districts of Kokrajhar, Chirang, Baksa, Tamulpur and Udalguri, and is administered by the autonomous Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC).
The BJP-UPPL coalition had ruled the BTC till late last year before being ousted from power by a resurgent BPF that had bagged 28 of the council’s 40 seats. The UPPL and the BJP had finished with seven and five seats respectively.
With the Assembly election just a few months away, the BJP did not waste any time in reviving its alliance with the BPF. An MLA from the BPF was inducted into the ministry, and the BPF returned the favours by appointing two from the BJP as Executive Members in the BTC.
The Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) is another key ally of the BJP outside the BTR.
Significantly, the BJP-AGP seat-sharing deal is awaiting the BJP central leadership’s nod.