A day after BPF exit from NDA: Opposition alliance way behind, says BJP's Dilip Saikia

A day after the Bodoland People’s Front (BPF) announced its exit from the NDA and joined the Congress-led Mahajot (grand alliance), the BJP said the exit would not have any adverse impact on its poll prospects.

“The BPF’s exit was expected as we had already allied with the United People’s Party Liberal (UPPL),” BJP’s national general secretary Dilip Saikia told ET. “We had left them during the Bodoland Council elections itself.”

In 2016, the BJP had contested the assembly election in alliance with the BPF and the BPF had won 12 seats out of the 16 seats it had contested. All the 12 seats were those under the Bodoland Territorial Council. This time, the BJP is not willing to leave all the seats for its alliance partner.


“Last time we had given all the 12 seats in the BTC to BPF. But this time BJP will also contest in the BTC region,” said Saikia, who is also part of the BJP’s core committee for Assam election.

Besides the BPF, Asom Gana Parishad was also part of the NDA in 2016. It contested 24 seats and won 14 seats. It is still in alliance with the BJP, but this time it may get to contest a smaller number of seats. “BJP had contested 84 seats and won 60. This time we are going to contest more seats,” said Saikia.