Will the Bernard episode fuel the rift between the BJP and NPP ahead of Polls?

Tura MDC and BJP leader Bernard Marak, popularly known as Rimpu, who was arrested in UP on Tuesday afternoon, was produced before a magistrate's court in Hapur city of UP on Wednesday. 

Despite the urges from the BJP State President Ernest Mawrie on Sunday, stating that the government should protect the life of MDC Bernard Marak and also withdraw all charges against him which are politically motivated and malign the party image. The BJP Meghalaya in a statement has described the raid on a property belonging to Tura MDC as an attempt to unjustly frame and malign him. 

While talking to India Today NE BJP state President Ernest Mawre said, “The Conrad-led NPP is conspiring against the BJP party." Before the incident took place, some of the youth from the NPP party was doing a poster campaign in Tura against Mr Bernard on July 21st  and on 22nd, this raid took place. It was in the Garo language, condemning Marak. Marak was against the allotment of land in the scheduled area. We are in discussion with the BJP central leadership too regarding all these conspiracies.”

MDC Marak said that the raid was "premeditated" and conducted at his private farm and later at his mother’s house and that all the allegations labelled "targeted" were targeted to tarnish and arrest him as he has become a threat to the Chief Minister. On absconding from the police, Marak said that he feared for his life if he were to surrender to Meghalaya police, who wanted him in connection with the raid on his property on Friday, which the authorities claim was being run as a brothel.

Responding to all the allegations that the raid was a political vendetta, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Tuesday categorically denied issuing any order to gun down the arrested BJP leader and Tura MDC Bernard N Marak and said the action taken by the state police was based on evidence. The chief minister also maintained that he has not interfered in the police investigation following complaints received from the public about the illegal activities at the private farmhouse of the accused MDC.

MDC Rimpu who was arrested on the accusations of running a 'brothel’ in his farmhouse. He was arrested by UP police while travelling in a taxi in the northern state, and police suspect that he was trying to enter Nepal from either Varanasi or Gorakhpur.
Most interestingly, NPP is in an alliance with the BJP party, but the most important question is whether the Bernard episode will fuel the rift between BJP and NPP ahead of the polls.