MP Naba Sarania weighs in on Rangja Basumatary defection. Here's what he said

KOKRAJHAR: Naba Kumar Sarania, sitting Lok Sabha MP who will be contesting from the Barama constituency as an Independent, today said that Bodoland People’s Front’s (BPF) policies in the Tamulpur constituency had prompted its candidate Rangja Khungur Basumatary to desert the party ahead of the polls.

“We have seen that the BPF has been having troubles in Tamulpur constituency. They made some mistakes in the selection. This is the result of the BJP’s policy in Tamulpur. As per my knowledge, he (Basumatary) is a good businessman, not a politician,” Sarania told media persons. “In politics, there are some conditions and components which are not acceptable to everyone. Maybe that is why he left.

Sarania also prophesied that Tamulpur constituency, ruled by BPF MLA Emmanuel Moshahary for two consecutive terms, is likely to slip outside the grasp of the region's largest party.

Bodoland People’s Front candidate Rangja Khungur Basumatary joined the Bharatiya Janata Party, days before voting citing "financial instability" as the reason.

The Bodoland People’s Front, a Congress ally in the Assam elections, had filed a complaint to the Election Commission demanding suspension of elections, pointing out that Basumatary had joined the saffron party on April 1, after the deadline for withdrawing nominations for voting in Tamulpur.

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The Congress had also filed a separate complaint with the poll body. BPF also moved the Supreme Court on the matter on Sunday.

Both pleas, however, were turned down.

Sarania, upon being asked about his prediction for the outcome of the election, said that “there is a great chance that the BJP-led alliance will form the government once again.”

It needs mention here that 40 seats out of Assam's 126 constituencies will be voting in the third phase of polling on 6 April.

Out of 40, 20 seats are in Muslim majority districts like Dhubri, Barpeta, Goalpara, South Salmara and Bongaigaon. Eight are in the Bodoland area districts like Baksa, Chirang and Kokrajhar.

Ten are in Guwahati and nearby areas in the Kamrup region and Nalbari district.

Among the key candidates in this phase are Himanta Biswa Sarma from Jalukbari, Assam BJP president Ranjit Dass at Paracharkuchi senior AIUDF leader Aminul Islam from Mankachar, senior Congress leader Rekibuddin Ahmed from Chaygaon, senior BPF leaders Chandra Brahma from Sidli and Pramila Brahma from Kokrajhar East.

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