Bharatiya Janata Party General Secretary Ram Madhav on Wednesday told reporters that his party would contest the Mizoram Assembly elections alone but may ally with like-minded outfits later, PTI reported. Mizoram is among four states set to go to polls by the end of the year.

The term of the Mizoram Assembly ends on December 15 while the terms of the Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan assemblies will end on January 5, 2019, January 7 and January 20. The General Elections are scheduled to be held on April or May 2019.

Madhav told reporters that the BJP would try to field candidates in all constituencies. He accused the Congress government of Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla of being corrupt. Madhav claimed that Thanhawla had not carried out any development work in the state during his tenure.

The BJP leader also dismissed rival parties’ claims that the Mizo National Front was the BJP’s proxy. He said the BJP would contest against the Mizo National Front and the National People’s Party, although they were members of the North East Democratic Alliance, which was formed in 2016 and which the BJP is part of. The Naga People’s Front, the Sikkim Democratic Front, the People’s Party of Arunachal, the Asom Gana Parishad and the Bodoland People’s Front are the other members of the alliance.

The BJP general secretary stressed that his party respects the food habits, religious practices and unique culture and customs of the people in the region. Madhav promised his party would construct a four-lane highway linking Myanmar and Bangladesh if voted to power. He said the proposed project would guarantee locals access to the international market and increase trade opportunities. The BJP leader also promised to set up engineering colleges in Lunglei and Champhai districts if the party comes to power.