BJP looks to oust Cong in north-east with ally aid

Party vice-president Pyarelal Khandelwal said here today that the BJP will contest 30 of the 60 Assembly seats in Nagaland. Khandelwal said ...

Party vice-president Pyarelal Khandelwal said here today that the BJP will contest 30 of the 60 Assembly seats in Nagaland. Khandelwal said his party will contest at least a third of the 60 seats each in Tripura and Meghalaya.

The BJP leader, who is in charge of party affairs in the North-East, said former chief minister Hokeshe Sema (BJP) will lead a multi-party front in the coming elections.

The Nagaland People’s Front, led by former CM N. Vizol and N. Rio, the NCP, Samata Party and JD (U) have agreed to work under Sema to defeat the Congress government led by S.C. Jamir.

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The BJP, riding piggy-back on Sema, is confident of posing a serious challenge to Jamir. The peace-initiative by the BJP-led government at the Centre, has provided the party with an effective poll-plank to reach out to Nagas.

In Meghalaya, where the BJP has three members in the Assembly, the party will fight 20-25 seats in alliance with half-dozen local outfits.

In Tripura, the BJP allies will include the Trinamool and a local outfit named Shiv Sena. The party, which has acquired a foothold in the Dharmanagar area and a Chakma belt in the south, accounting for 15 seats, hopes to open its account in the House this time.