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Assam: Congress ally BPF’s candidates holed up in Chhattisgarh resort
HT earlier reported about BPF candidates being taken outside the state. The ruling BJP alliance and the opposition Congress-led coalition are locked in a direct fight for power in Assam.
Eight candidates of Bodoland Peoples’ Front (BPF) who contested the recently concluded assembly polls in Assam were moved to a resort in Chhattisgarh on Saturday amid horse-trading speculations, said a senior Congress leader. BPF is the second among the national party’s regional allies to have moved candidates to a Congress-ruled state.
BPF, which was part of the ruling BJP-led coalition in Assam, tied up with Congress’s 10-party ‘mahajot’ (grand alliance) for the elections and fielded 12 candidates.
“The BPF candidates were brought to Chhattisgarh on Saturday and were staying at the Mayfair Lake Resort in Raipur. They were likely to stay there till May 2 when counting of votes takes place,” said a senior Chhattisgarh Congress leader refusing to be named.
“BJP are past masters at the game of manipulation in their lust for power. We have seen many instances in past where they have used all kinds of means to lure away elected representatives. This time if we have taken pre-emptive measures to prevent something like that from happening, what’s the harm?” questioned Assam Congress leader and Lok Sabha MP Pradyut Bordoloi.
BPF spokesperson Khampa Borgoyary said party candidates were on a “vacation”.
“Our candidates have gone outside the state for a vacation after the long Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) polls which was followed by the assembly elections. BJP has a track record of horse-trading and could try to indulge in it this time as well. But there’s no chance of our candidates switching sides,” the spokesperson said.
Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel, who was the Congress election observer for Assam, spent several weeks in the state preparing the party’s strategy for the polls. HT earlier reported about BPF candidates being taken outside the state. The ruling BJP alliance and the opposition Congress-led coalition are locked in a direct fight for power in Assam. The three-phased elections for the 126-member assembly concluded on April 6. In 2016, BJP won 60 seats and formed its first government in Assam with support of Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) (14) and BPF (12). On the other hand, Congress won 26 seats and the AIUDF bagged 13.
“The fact that Congress is moving candidates of its allies to states outside Assam shows they don’t have any trust in them. BJP is not bothered with these antics as we are forming the next government with a comfortable majority,” BJP spokesperson Subhash Dutta said.
The BPF suffered a setback even before polling when Rangja Khungur Basumatary, the party candidate from the Tamulpur seat retired from the contest six days prior to the third phase of polling and joined the BJP.
BPF, which ruled the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) for 17 years, has a strong presence in the four BTR districts. The party is expected to see a keen contest with United Peoples’ Party Liberal (UPPL), which is now heading the council with support of BJP.
On April 9, three days after the end of polling for the third phase, AIUDF, which is also part of the Congress-led alliance and contested 20 seats, took 18 of their candidates to Rajasthan, another Congress-ruled state, said AIUDF organising secretary Md. Aminul Islam.
While pilgrimage to Ajmer Sharif Dargah was stated as the reason for the trip, party leaders admitted that fear of their candidates being ‘influenced’ by the BJP ahead of counting prompted the move.
Akhil Ranjan Dutta, professor of political science at Gauhati University said these instances did not augur well for the democratic process. “These incidents are not good for a democracy and a tremendous insult on conscience of voters. Such events happening even before the counting of votes could also lead to young voters, who are careful observers of the political process in Assam, losing faith in the election process, ” he said.
(With inputs from Ritesh Mishra in Raipur)
