NEW DELHI, Jan 17 - Less than 48 hours before Prime Minister Narendra Modi�s arrival in Kokrajhar, the BJP and BPF are all set to formally seal the deal of electoral alliance.
Top BPF leaders, including BTAD chairman Hagrama Mohilary, Rajya Sabha MP Biswajeet Daimary, and Chandan Brahma arrived in the capital and expected to meet the BJP central leaders. BJP leaders, including State BJP president Sarbananda Sonowal, convenor of the election committee Himanta Biswa Sarma and top RSS leaders including Ram Lal and Ram Madhav, are likely to be present at BJP president Amit Shah�s house when the pact would be formally endorsed.
The BPF has already made clear its preconditions for supporting the BJP in the Assembly polls, presenting a memorandum containing its charter of demands. Prime Minister Modi is likely to announce a special package on January 19 during his visit to Kokrajhar.
The BJP and BPF are negotiating seat-sharing arrangements for 16 Assembly seats. The BPF has 12 MLAs in the current Assembly, while it lost the Kokrajhar Lok Sabha seat to Naba Sarania.
The BPF had submitted a list of demands including sanction of Rs 5,000-crore grant spread over the next five years. �Our politics is for nothing but development of BTC areas. If the NDA Government supports us, our people would be happy and in that case we have no problem in supporting the BJP,� Rajya Sabha MP Biswajeet Daimary told this newspaper after meeting the Prime Minister.
BPF leader Hagrama Mohilary told newsmen that they discussed development issues and security of tribal people. �If the NDA Government releases the required funds, we will consider supporting the BJP,� he had said.
The BPF, which had played a key role in supporting Tarun Gogoi Government had on June 2014 parted company after eight years of alliance. Chairman of BPF Hangrama Mohilary had blamed the Congress Government for its lackadaisical attitude towards them. �Fund allocation is not proportionate to the population. The present Congress Government has not cooperated at all with us in all round development of the BTAD. There is no point in continuing in this Government if we cannot fulfil the aspirations of the Bodo people.�
