BJP's horse trading keeps Assam's Grand Alliance on its toes ahead of results

Contestants of the alliance were sent to hotels outside of Assam to keep off BJP's attempts to 'poach' them

As May 2 approaches, the AIUDF and Bodoland People's Front (BPF) have sent their candidates out of Assam for an 'outing' fearing "horse trading" by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

At least 17 of 20 candidates of AIUDF, one of the major partners of Congress-led "grand alliance" were brought back from Jaipur in Rajasthan to Guwahati on Friday. Most of the BPF candidates, who had gone out have also come back due to a surge in Covid-19 but the fear of horse trading remains.

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Leaders who spearheaded Congress's campaign met with contesting candidates of the alliance on Saturday decided to keep the latter together in hotels from April 22 till the results are declared in order to prevent a "poaching attempt" by BJP leaders. "Horse trading is definitely a reason to be worried. BJP has got both money and muscle power and they have the habit and track record of horse-trading. So, in today's meeting, it has been decided that candidates belonging to all the partners of the grand alliance will stay together," president of Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC), Ripun Bora said in Guwahati.

Apart from AIUDF and BPF, three Left parties and Anchalik Gana Morcha, a small anti-CAA party is part of the Congress-led grand alliance that aims to wrest power from BJP by winning 101 of Assam's 126 Assembly seats. "We are sure and confident even today about our target," Bora said.

Congress contested 95 seats while AIUDF fielded candidates in 20 seats. AIUDF had contested separately in 2016 and had bagged 14 seats while BPF was an ally of the BJP-led alliance. BPF won all 12 seats in the Bodoland region in 2016 but this time the party joined the grand alliance after it was ditched by BJP before the Bodoland Territorial Council elections in December.

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Sources told DH that Congress leaders wanted all candidates to stay in a hotel from Saturday itself but some of the candidates did not agree, saying they want to stay with their family members for Bihu festival, Navratri and Ramadan.

Congress leaders said they feared "horse trading" attempt by BJP leader Himanta Biswa Sarma, who is eyeing the CM post by poaching MLAs from the opposition camp in case BJP and its allies don't get the majority mark. Sarma, however, recently said the BJP-led alliance will retain power with a "record number" of seats.