With just a few months to go for the 2021 Assam assembly elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is strengthening its arms with more members and the process is a direct hint that the party might be planning to go it all alone in the upcoming assembly elections.
The saffron party ruled government, with a cabinet decision, urged the Election Commission to conduct the pending Bodo Territorial Region (BTR) elections by December and a day later over 700 members of Bodo bodies joined the saffron party. United Bodo People's Organization (UBPO) president, Mihineswar Basumatary, along with many state committee members and district presidents joined the BJP.
It needs to be mentioned that it was also calculated by political observers that the relation between BJP and Bodoland People’s Front (BPF) is not all that rosy after the Bodoland Territorial Council was put under Governor’s rule in April 2020. The Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) came under Governor’s rule the day its five-year term expired. The move was seen as a setback for the ruling Bodoland People’s Front (BPF) which had sought an extension or holding of immediate polls.
BPF is one of the major allies of the BJP and is also facing threats from new Bodo parties in the region like UPPL (United People's Party Liberal).
“It is possible that BJP might go solo in the 2021 elections if the party makes a stronghold in the areas dominated by BPF and Asom Gana Parishad (AGP),” said a highly placed source in the BJP.
The source revealed that after the Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) and Raijor Dal (RD) launched their parties with the same ideology of regionalism, it seems that AGP might lose votes.
“If required, top leaders of AGP could join BJP and save their bastions,” said the source.
During the last BJP executive body meeting the party leadership tried to attack the opposition and promoted only the work done by the BJP. None of the leaders praised the alliance and the BJP workers were not asked to work united with the allies.
BJP members in the Gauhati West constituency, talking to G Plus, said that they did not receive any instructions yet from the party to work for AGP or to help AGP win the polls. AGP leader Ramendra Narayan Kalita is the sitting MLA from Gauhati West and is expecting to contest again on an AGP ticket in 2021. Last time in the 2016 polls, the leader was helped by the BJP and even national BJP leaders like Smriti Irani campaigned for the AGP candidate in Gauhati West constituency. Kalita had been defeated by the Congress in 2011.
There are many BJP members aspiring for an MLA ticket from Gauhati West and similarly, many members are aspiring for tickets from other AGP strongholds. Even Bodo body members are joining the BJP.
So with the addition of more members in the saffron party, that too in BPF and AGP bastions, it seems a strong possibility that the party is planning to contest the 2021 assembly elections all by itself. But will it be possible for the party to gain the desired complete majority without BPF and AGP remains the big question?
