Guwahati, Jan 24 (PTI) The ruling BJP in Assam has forged a partnership with the Bodoland People's Front (BPF) at the legislature party-level though there is no alliance on the ground, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said.

Addressing a press conference here on Sunday, Sarma said the BJP and BPF will have floor coordination in the assembly and work together inside the House.

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"The BJP legislature party has admitted BPF legislature party as a partner in the assembly," he said.

However, there is no alliance at the "political level" with the BPF, he added.

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BPF was a member of the first BJP-led government in the state before exiting the ruling coalition ahead of the 2021 assembly elections and contesting the polls as a part of the Congress-led opposition grand alliance.

"The BPF had fought the assembly elections with Congress and AIUDF, but they later left that alliance. They have been performing an impartial role in the assembly," Sarma said.

"In view of the political atmosphere and to ensure wider consensus for the ruling coalition in the House, BPF will have floor coordination with us," he said.

The chief minister said he has taken consent of the UPPL before making the arrangement with the BPF.

The UPPL and BPF are political rivals in the Bodoland Territorial Region, where the two parties are based.

The BPF has three MLAs, and they will join the 62 legislators of BJP, nine of AGP and seven of UPPL on the treasury benches.

In the opposition camp, the Congress' strength is 27, AIUDF has 15 members and CPI(M) has one MLA. There is also an Independent MLA -- Akhil Gogoi of the Raijor Dal.

One seat is lying vacant in the 126-member Assam assembly.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)