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Mahajot suffers jolt as BPF candidate pulls out of poll race

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GUWAHATI, April 1: The Congress-led Mahajot suffered a jolt ahead of the third-phase Assembly elections in Assam, with a Bodoland People’s Front (BPF) candidate from Tamulpur constituency deciding to pull out of the election race, and join the BJP instead.

BPF, which was formerly an ally of BJP, is currently contesting the election in Assam after partnering with the Mahajot, which also has AIUDF as one of its allies.

Sources said that Rangja Khungur Basumatary had met Assam BJP leader Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday night and expressed his willingness to join the saffron party as “he was not satisfied with the BPF leadership in regard to support, including financial assistance”.

“He will be supporting UPPL candidate in Tamulpur LAC, Lehuram Boro,” Sarma told the media.

BPF had won all the 12 seats in Bodoland Territorial Region (erstwhile BTAD) in 2016.

Tamulpur goes to the polls in the third and final phase on April 6.

Cong charge against Himanta

Meanwhile, the Opposition Congress has accused BJP leader Sarma of “breaking the Opposition candidates” ahead of the polls.

In a statement, the Opposition alleged, “After openly blackmailing and threatening Hagrama Mohilary, Sarma has once again been caught in trying to break the opposition candidates. Rangja Khungur Basumatary, another BPF candidate, was missing since yesterday and later joined the BJP today.”

“Sarma, yesterday, in a tweet mentioned that he had met Basumatary. We demand that the call records of Basumatary be made public so that the people of Assam also get to know what coercion, intimidation or what proposal forced Mr. Basumatary to join hands with the BJP. This is not only an attack on the democracy but also treachery against the people of Assam,” the Congress said in the statement.

“The Election Commission has already, prima facie, found him guilty of violating the Model Code of Conduct in a separate matter. He is hell bent on betraying people’s trust and mandate,” the party said.

“After the second phase, as the Congress Grand Alliance inches towards the majority figure in Assam, a rejected and dejected BJP is trying all tricks in the book. They can already sense that they are losing people’s support at a rapid rate. We request the Election Commission to take notice of this incident too as Sarma is a repeat offender of the Model Code of Conduct,” it said.

A delegation of Mahajot leaders will be meeting the Election Commission as soon as possible to request for disqualification of Sarma from both contesting and further campaigning in the Assam Assembly elections 2021 and deferment of elections in Tamulpur Assembly constituency,” the statement added.

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