BJP ally UPPL to contest alone in Assam assembly polls

Guwahati: The United People’s Party Liberal (UPPL), an ally of the BJP in the Assam government, has announced that it would contest this year’s assembly election without being part of any coalition and field candidates in 21 seats.

It plans to contest 15 seats within the Bodoland Territorial Council region and six outside it.

Central party vice-president RN Sinha said on Friday that the UPPL was not a subordinate or proxy of any party.

In its Muslim outreach, the UPPL stated that the community was facing atrocities in the state and that the party would take responsibility for ensuring political and social security for Muslims.

According to Sinha, the UPPL has emerged as a strong political force in the state and is now bigger than the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and the Bodoland People’s Front (BPF) in terms of influence and public support.

The UPPL currently has seven members in the 126-member Assam assembly, while the BJP has 64 MLAs. The other BJP allies are the AGP (nine seats) and BPF (three). Opposition includes the Congress (26 MLAs), All-India United Democratic Front (15) and the CPI-M (one). There is also an independent MLA.
Recently, BPF president and Bodoland Territorial Council chief Hagrama Mohilary ruled out the possibility of jointly fighting the assembly election with the UPPL.