KOKRAJHAR: Bodoland Peoples' Front (BPF) Chief Hagrama Mohilary on Sunday appealed to BJP, its alliance partner in the Assam government, to extend its support in forming the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) following a hung House in the polls.
The BPF and the BJP had contested the 40-seat Council polls separately with the former emerging as the single largest party with 17 seats and its ruling partner winning nine seats.
The United Peoples' Party Liberal (UPPL) won 12 seats, and the Congress and the Gana Suraksha Party (GSP) bagged one seat each.
The Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) is an autonomous district council coveriung the four districts of Kokrajhar, Chirang, Baksa and Udalguri which falls under the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR).
"In 2016, we had entered into an alliance with the BJP and formed a government at the state and we are also a part of the NDA.
We have not broken the alliance yet and so I request the BJP to continue with the alliance and extend support to the BPF in the formation of the new Council", Mohilary said at a press conference here.
He appealed to BJP President J P Nadda and state unit President Ranjit Dass to continue with the alliance and extend their support to the BPF.
He expressed confidence that the BJP will continue with the alliance and support the BPF in BTC as in "politics there are no permanent friends or enemies".
The election to the Council was held after a fresh Bodo Accord was signed in New Delhi on January 27 by the leaders of all four factions of the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB)- then All Bodo Students Union (ABSU) Chief Pramod Boro, then BTC Chief Hagrama Mohilary and Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal.
Asked about the bitter war of words both BJP and BPF had launched against each other during the campaign, Mohilary said that it happens during elections with many debates taking place but that is now over and the alliance between the two parties must continue.
"All political parties including the UPPL, Congress and AIUDF contested the polls independently but now the point is that both BJP and BPF are an alliance partner at the state and centre and must help each other to form the Council", he said.
The BJP and the UPPL did not announce any formal alliance but both have indicated of a possible post-poll pact in case of a hung Council.
UPPL Chief Promod Brahma, BJP Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, BJP state unit President, BJP National General Secretary and Mangaldoi MP Dilip Saikia and Gana Suraksha Party (GSP) Chief and Kokrajhar MP Naba Kumar Sarania were engaged in late night deliberations and they again met this morning to discuss the formation of the Council.
Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, Sarma and BJP state president along with other senior party leaders are currently holding discussions regarding the formation of the Council and the decision is likely to be announced during the day.