GUWAHATI, March 16: The United Peoples’ Party Liberal (UPPL) on Tuesday declared its final list of eight candidates for the third phase state Assembly elections.
The party, led by former All Bodo Students Union president, Pramod Boro, has nominated Urkhao Gwra Brahma, a former MP, poet, social worker and a recipient of the Sahitya Academy Award, to contest from the Chapaguri seat.
The other candidates in the final list are Somnath Narzary (Gossaigaon), Manaranjan Brahma (Kokrajhar West), Lawrence Islary (Kokrajhar East), Jayanta Basumatary (Sidli), Phanin Boro (Bijni), Leho Ram Boro (Tamulpur) and Bhupen Boro (Barama).
UPPL, BJP’s new-found ally, will be contesting 11 of the 12 seats in the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR).
The party is not contesting from the Panery seat where the BJP has fielded Rajya Sabha member Biswajit Daimary.
Earlier, the party had announced the names of three candidates, Ratendra Daimary (Majbat), Kamal Azad (Kalaigaon) and Gabinda Chandra Basumatary (Udalguri).
It will have friendly contests with BJP in three seats – Bijni, Kalaigaon and Majbat.
UPPL’s performance in BTR assumes significance for the BJP-led alliance in regard to its overall performance this Assembly election.
The Hagrama Mohilary-led Bodoland People’s Front (BPF), which had allied with the incumbent BJP five years back, had swept all the 12 seats in the BTR in the 2016.
However, BPF is currently a part of the Congress-led Grand Alliance now.