Political equations in the Bodoland Territorial Council may witness a major change in the April elections with the BJP mulling a pre-poll alliance with United People’s Party Liberal, the political rival of its ally at Dispur, the Bodoland People’s Front, which rules the BTC.

According to UPPL insiders, the BJP is in talks with the UPPL leadership for an alliance and is aiming to contest in at least 12-15 of the 40 contested seats.

UPPL president Pramod Boro said, “We have not got any proposal yet but will think over it if we get one.”

Assam BJP president Ranjeet Kumar Dass had recently said that his party was keen on expanding its footprint in the BTC areas and was open to an alliance with any party.

Sources said the BJP would ally with the party which offers it the maximum seats. At present, it has only one member in the 46-member BTC, headquartered at Kokrajhar. While elections are held in 40 seats, six are nominated.

A UPPL leader said on condition of anonymity, “Our party’s sole aim is ensure peace, prosperity and brotherhood in the Bodo belt and implement the Bodo pact in letter and spirit. What would be better than an alliance with the ruling party at the Centre and in the state?”

The BJP’s Lok Sabha MP from Mangaldoi, Dilip Saikia, speaking at a party meeting at Anand Bazar in Baksa district on Thursday, claimed that the BJP would form the government in the BTC polls and that the BPF-ruled Bodo belt was facing a wave of anti-incumbency.

The UPPL has gained momentum since Boro, former president of the All Bodo Students’ Union and a signatory to the January 27 Bodo Accord, took over its reins. His popularity is expected to woo young voters who are looking for better governance in the BTC where the BPF is ruling for the third term.

Any move by the BJP to ally with the UPPL is likely to make the going tough for its existing ally, the BPF.

However, BPF president and BTC chief Hagrama Mohilary seemed confident of its existing alliance and claimed that the BPF-BJP-AGP would form the next government in the BTC areas. The BPF has already announced its first list of 16 candidates.

Meanwhile, the four NDFB factions, also signatories to the Bodo Accord, are likely to support different parties.

While the Ranjan, Progressive and Saoraigwra factions are likely to support the ruling BPF, the Gobinda Basumatary faction is likely to back the UPPL.