Former BJP ally BPF returns as partner in the state assembly

Bharatiya Janata Party’s estranged ally in Assam Bodoland People’s Front (BPF) has returned as its partner in the state assembly and will have floor coordination with allies.
Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that the BPF members will share the Treasury bench. “At a political level we have not done an alliance, this alliance is with legislature parties. With BJP and allies in the Assembly, the number will be 82.”

Two Rajya Sabha seats will be vacant shortly and BJP and its allies are preparing to win both the seats. Ahead of assembly polls last year, the BPF snapped its ties with the ruling BJP and formally joined the Congress-led alliance.

In the assembly polls, the BJP had decided to fight the polls in the Bodoland area in alliance with the new ally United People’s Party Liberal (UPPL).

BJP, together with UUPL, is ruling the sixth schedule council of Bodoland territorial council (BTC). BPF had three ministers in the council of ministers in Assam in the first BJP-led government.

The relationship between BPF and BJP turned bitter and both parties fought the elections in the sixth schedule council BTC separately.

In 2006 and 2011, BPF was a part of the Congress-led government in Assam. Later in 2014, before the Lok Sabha polls, the party parted ways from Congress.

Congress in this year’s assembly polls won 29 seats while its ally All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) won 14 seats. Two sitting Congress MLAs have resigned from the assembly, while BPF won four seats and CPI(M) wrested one.