AGARTALA, Sept 13 - With the crack between BJP and IPFT widening over the submission of nomination papers for the upcoming Panchayat by-elections, BJP�s national general secretary Ram Madhav and organisational general secretary Ajay Jamwal would be arriving here on September 16 next for a patch up between the two allies.
During the visit, the duo would hold a meeting with BJP leaders to check the party�s preparation for the upcoming Lok Sabha election. �A meeting is also scheduled with IPFT leaders to put an end to the ongoing hostility between BJP and IPFT, coalition government�s two partners�, said party State general secretary Rajib Bhattacharjee here on Thursday.
BJP and IPFT are at loggerheads over the issue of Block Advisory Committee (BAC) chairmanship for the past two months and of late, the relation between the two parties has worsened centering over filing of nomination papers in Panchayat by-election.
BJP Core Committee has reportedly put pressure on Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb, who is also party�s State president to end the honeymoon with IPFT at a high level meeting here on Wednesday night.
On the other hand, a five-member IPFT delegation headed by general secretary Mangal Debbarma met the Secretary of State Election Commission (SEC) on Thursday and demanded to give an opportunity so that their candidates could file nomination papers for the by-election.
As per the schedule, the last date for making nomination papers ended on September 11 and scrutiny was done on September 12 and by-election is slated for September 30.
�Most of our candidates could not file nomination papers due to resistance from BJP workers and supporters till September 11. We have requested the poll body to extend time for filling of nomination papers so that party nominees could submit their papers�, Debbarma told the media on Thursday.
He continued, �The party has already decided to launch a movement in support of Twipraland as it was decided in the party�s central executive committee�.
Even if BJP ends its honeymoon with IPFT, Biplab Kumar Deb-led government may not face any trouble as it has 36 MLAs in the 60-member Assembly, while IPFT has only eight legislators.
