Assam’s Bodoland People’s Front (BPF) moved the Supreme Court on Sunday seeking postponement of polling in Tamulpur, after its candidate – Rangja Khungur Basumatary – defected to the BJP but every week before voting and after the deadline for withdrawal of nominations.
Tamulpur is scheduled to vote on Tuesday – the third and final phase of the Assam election.
On Friday BPF chief Hagrama Mohilary wrote his second letter, in as many days, to the committee , and asked for permission to vary the BPF’s candidate for the Tamulpur seat.
“Since the candidate nominated by my party has changed his political allegiance barely a couple of days before polling through illegal inducements including bribery, he’s not entitled to receive the votes under the BPF symbol,” Mr Mohilary said in his letter.
He also said Mr Basumatary’s defection after the last date of withdrawal of nomination was an “act of fraud” that violated the “core requirement of fairness in elections”.
A day earlier Mr Mohilary wrote to request that polling be cancelled which an FIR (first information report) be filed against Assam minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and Union Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, who were present as Mr Basumatary joined the BJP
BJP chief JP Nadda, Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and Assam BJP chief Ranjeet Kumar Dass were also named – for allegedly luring Mr Basumatary during a “fraudulent manner”.
The Bodoland People’s Front was once an ally of the BJP.
Mr Mohilary’s party switched to the Congress in February – after the BJP dumped it to unite the United People’s Party Liberal (UPPL) to make the Bodoland Territorial Council last December.
The results of the Assam Assembly election are expected on May 2.
