Guwahati: As a confident BJP, for strategic reasons, prepares to fight the Lok Sabha election either with or against its allies, Congress has launched a hunt for partners in the northeast . Since 2016, all northeastern states have come under NDA rule under the leadership of either BJP or its constituent members.In Assam, one of the three Hindu-dominated NE states, BJP is fighting 10 of the 14 seats while its partners, Asom Gana Parishad and Bodoland People’s Front, will field candidates in three and one seat respectively. In 2014, BJP had won seven seats on its own. Similarly, in Nagaland, a Christian-majority state, the saffron party and Nationalist Democratic People’s Party are jointly fighting the election. Last year, they were able to overcome the Church’s campaign against what it called BJP’s “Hindutva politics”.In Meghalaya, where BJP is a minor ruling partner, the saffron party has detached itself from National People’s Party (NPP), the biggest NDA partner there. The mineral-rich state has two LS seats — Tura and Shillong — and BJP is fighting against NPP as well as Congress in both. Many interpret this as an effort to keep NPP clear of Congress’s allegations that it has joined hands with a pro-Hindu party like BJP. Like in Nagaland, the Church has a significant influence on the voters in Meghalaya.In Mizoram, another Christian state, BJP is fielding a candidate in the state’s LS seat. Ruling Mizo National Front (MNF), which is an NDA partner, and Congress are two other major claimants for the seat. Many say BJP’s decision to go it alone in the election will deprive Congress and other anti-NDA forces of the opportunity to accuse MNF of having a tie-up with a party that supports Hindutva ideology.In Arunachal Pradesh, the tussle between BJP and NPP is more because of a turf war than strategic reasons. Both parties want to have an upper hand in both LS and assembly polls. Most of the 33 candidates fielded by NPP in the assembly polls are BJP turncoats, including two ministers and MLAs, who failed to get a ticket from their party. The NDA partners are also fighting against each other as well as Congress for Arunachal’s two LS seats.In Tripura, BJP and its ruling partner Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT) are fighting against each other for the state’s two Lok Sabha seats after the latter ignored the former’s request for allowing it to contest both constituencies. Right from the time the two wrested Tripura from the Left Front last year, they have held divergent views on the issue of statehood for tribals. IPFT supports the demand while BJP is against it.In Manipur, NPP has fielded a candidate against BJP in one of the state’s two LS seats though the NDA government there hasn’t faced any trouble among its partners, which also include Naga People’s Front (NPF). Ironically, NPF is an opponent of the ruling BJP-NDPP alliance in Nagaland.In contrast, Congress, which was almost friendless in the region until last week, has begun to win over new allies. In Nagaland, NPF has decided not to oppose the Grand Old Party in the election. In Mizoram, Zoram People’s Movement has joined hands with Congress to support an Independent fighting against MNF and BJP. Likewise, in Tripura, a Hindu-majority state, the Indigenous Nationalist Party of Tripura has withdrawn its candidates in favour of Congress.Most interestingly, Muslim-dominated All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) has taken the initiative to stop a division of secular votes and help Congress win as many seats as possible in Assam. It has announced that it will fight only three seats instead of eight as declared earlier.

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