The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party has managed to rope in ten regional parties for the anti-Congress bloc it forged soon after it came to power in Assam in May, reported The Indian Express. “While we already had Asom Gana Parishad, Bodo People’s Front, Naga People’s Front and People’s Party of Arunachal under the North-East Democratic Alliance umbrella when we floated it on May 24 in Guwahati, five more parties have joined it, thus widening the coverage of our umbrella to all the eight states of the region,” said Ram Madhav who is the national general secretary of the party.

Meghalaya's United Democratic Party and National People’s Party, the Mizo National Front, Sikkim Democratic Front, Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura and Ganashakti are the new outfits that allied with the saffron camp on Wednesday. “That these parties have joined the NEDA holds tremendous significance in that it would immensely help the states of the region resolve several inter-state and intra-state issues that have been pending for long,” Madhav said after the first formal meeting of NEDA since it was formed a month back.

Those who attended the meet include Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, his Nagaland counterpart TR Zeliang, Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Kalikho Pul, former Mizoram Chief Minister Zoramthanga and National People's Party chief Conrad Sangma.