GUWAHATI, March 6 - In an apparent bid to counter the alliance between the BJP and Bodoland People�s Front (BPF), the Congress today came into an electoral understanding with the United People�s Party (UPP) headed by former Member of Parliament UG Brahma.
Talking to The Assam Tribune after the signing of the agreement with the Congress, UPP president Brahma said that as per the deal, the Congress would not field candidates in four constituencies �Kokrajhar (West), Kokrajhar (East), Sidli and Chapaguri. He said that the UPP would contest in about 12 to 14 seats and apart from those four seats, there would be �friendly contest� between the Congress and UPP in the other seats in the Bodoland Territorial Area Districts (BTAD). He said that the UPP would extend support to Congress candidates in other parts of the State.
Justifying the decision to come into an electoral understanding with the Congress, Brahma said that under the present political scenario, it would be difficult for any political party to contest the polls alone in Assam. He said that in the last few days, the Congress government took a series of initiatives for the Bodo people and Bodo has been declared as an associate state language. He said that the government has implemented the demand for creating a separate directorate for Bodo medium education, while, a Cabinet decision has been taken for setting up a Cultural Research and Development Centre in the name of Upendra Nath Brahma. The State Government has also accepted the rights of the forest dwellers, he added.
Brahma said that the Congress has promised them to solve the political problems of the Bodo people if voted to power.
Hitting out at the BJP-BPF alliance, Brahma said that the BJP wants to come to power with the help of the BPF, but the alliance would never succeed. He said that the BJP had been giving slogans of a change, but interestingly, the party was not in favour of a change in the BTAD and supported �corruption by the BPF.�
Brahma said that they were confident of getting moral support of the All Bodo Students� Union (ABSU) in the elections. He pointed out that the students� body had also hailed the recent steps taken by the State Government for the benefit of the Bodo people and �we are confident of getting moral support of the students� body.�
Kokrajhar Correspondent adds: The UPP has declared its first list of ten candidates for the April 11 Assam Assembly elections. The party has decided to field Samnath Narzary from Gossaigaon seat, Urkhao Gwra Brahma from Kokrajhar West, Pratibha Brahma from Kokrajhar East, Rwngwra Narzary from Sidli, Santosh Khaklary from Bijni, Hitesh Basumatary from Chapaguri, Nandaram Boro from Paneri, Dilip Boro from Udalguri, Babul Basumatary from Kalaigaon and Rabindra Basumatary from Mazbat constituency, UPP president UG Brahma said in a statement.
The second list of candidates will be declared in the second week of March, he said.
