Achi news desk-
Since 2014, when the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power at the Centre; Allying with the regional parties to defeat the Congress has always been a strategy for the saffron party, especially in the North East.
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As the North Eastern Democratic Alliance (NEDA), a united forum of non-Congress parties in the North East, faced setbacks due to various reasons. The BJP, its prominent ally, is now focusing on seat adjustments to project a united front in the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
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In Meghalaya, the BJP engaged in seat adjustments with the National People’s Party (NPP), leaving two seats for its ally in Tura and Shillong. Similarly, in Assam, out of the 14 seats, the BJP is contesting 11, with its partners AGP and UPPL contesting two and one seat respectively. BJP aims to signal its commitment to work harmoniously with regional parties, thereby safeguarding the aspirations of the region, said a BJP source who is also a member of the BJP Assam Executive Committee.
However, not all regional parties align with the saffron brigade. For example, the Mizo National Front, a key member of NEDA, is contesting elections in Mizoram, where the BJP has also fielded candidates. Similarly, the BJP is facing opposition from the Sikh Karnatikari movement in Sikkim.
This trend is a departure from the 2019 elections when, apart from Assam, the BJP and its allies did not engage in seat-sharing arrangements.
Additionally, the BJP refrained from contesting the Manipur outer seat in Manipur, supporting the NPF instead. Similarly, she avoided Nagaland, where the NDPP is contesting. The solidarity among NDA voters is evident, with NPP fielding no candidate in Arunachal Pradesh and supporting BJP candidates.
“Regional parties are still calling the shots in the North East,” the BJP source said, adding that but this is an advantage for the BJP as the regional parties know the local sentiments and the alliance eventually becomes a winner for the BJP.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has announced support for the candidates of three regional parties in the North East for the next parliamentary polls scheduled to begin on April 19.
BJP said the party will support Naga People’s Front (NPF) candidate in Manipur Outer constituency, National People’s Party (NPP) in Meghalaya and National Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) in Nagaland.
In Assam, the saffron party also supports the candidates of the Asom Gana Parishad (Barpata and Dobri seats) and the People’s United Liberal Party (Kokrajhar).
Regional parties may be contesting, but not in Assam, as the AGP sought four seats but got only two.
AGPs even changed their stand on the Citizenship Amendment Act to support the BJP when the bill was passed in Parliament, but still the regional party always has to compromise during seat-sharing in Assam, according to the source.
In the first phase of elections on April 19, 15 seats will go to polls five in Assam, two each in Manipur, Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh, and one seat each in Nagaland, Sikkim, Mizoram and Tripura.
