Top ULFA leaders to meet Union Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi on Tuesday

NEW DELHI: Top ULFA leaders will meet Union Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi on Tuesday to find way forward for a possible peace agreement, ahead of next year's Assam assembly polls.

Mehrishi will review various aspects of ULFA's demands with a delegation of the insurgent group led by 'chairman' Arabinda Rajkhowa.

"The Union Home Secretary will review the progress of the parleys that have been going on between central government's interlocutor P C Halder and the pro-talk faction of the ULFA led by Rajkhowa," a Home Ministry official said.

The ULFA delegation is also likely to meet Home Minister Rajnath Singh during their visit to the national capital.

Speculation is rife that the Narendra Modi government is keen to sign a peace accord with the pro-talk faction of the ULFA ahead of next year's Assam assembly election to bring an end to the nearly four decades of insurgency in the northeastern state.

Officials said a peace accord may come through by December-end. The recent deportation of ULFA 'general secretary' Anup Chetia from Bangladesh has also sent a positive signal to the ULFA leadership and that has set the ball rolling for early signing of a peace accord.

Elections to the 126-member Assam assembly are due in April-May next year. The BJP may try to take credit if an accord is signed before the polls in its bid to dislodge the Congress, which is ruling the state for three consecutive terms.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who oversaw the peace accord signed with Naga insurgent group NSCN-IM in August, is believed to be keen for an early conclusion of the peace agreement with ULFA.

If a peace accord is signed, some of the ULFA leaders are expected to contest the assembly elections. A former ULFA leader, Hira Sarania, is now an MP (Independent) in Lok Sabha after he successfully contested the 2014 Parliamentary elections.