BJP to fight its ally BPF in Bodoland council polls in Assam

BJP has decided to field candidates against its ally, Bodoland People's Front (BPF), for the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) elections scheduled on April 4.

This was decided on a day BJP gave one of the three Rajya Sabha seats in Assam to BPF as per its understanding in 2016 when it forged a pre-poll alliance with the regional party for the Assembly polls. BJP formed its first government in Assam in 2016 with pre-poll alliance with AGP and BPF.

BTC, an autonomous council under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution was formed in 2003 after Bodo Liberation Tigers, an insurgent group (now disbanded) led by Hagrama Mahilary had signed the Bodo Accord. BPF is ruling the council since then. BTC with four districts under its jurisdiction has 40 seats.

The decision to contest the BTC elections was taken after Ranjeet Kumar Dass, president of BJP's Assam unit, held a meeting in Goreswar in western Assam with at least 40 local leaders on Wednesday afternoon. The party, however, did not announce the number of seats it plans to contest in the BTC polls.

In 2015, BPF won the BTC polls for the third consecutive term while BJP won only one seat.

The decision comes weeks after the Centre signed a "comprehensive agreement" with all four factions of insurgent group NDFB.

BJP's decision to go all alone in the BTC polls, however, surprised many and raised speculation about the continuance of the alliance with BPF at the state level in the next year's Assembly polls.