Kokrajhar, Dec. 12: The Bodoland Peoples' Front (BPF) today announced its first list of 14 candidates for next year's Assam Assembly elections.

The list mostly comprises the names of existing MLAs - Banendra Mushahary from Gauripur constituency, Majendra Narzary from Gossaigaon, Pramila Rani Brahma from Kokrajhar East (ST), Chandan Brahma from Sidli (ST), Maneswar Brahma from Barama (ST), Emmanuel Mushahary from Tamulpur, Kamal Singh Narzary from Bijni, Maneswar Boro from Kalaigaon, Kamali Basumatary from Paneri, and Rihon Daimary from Udalguri (ST) constituency.

The new names include Charan Basumatary, who will replace Rakheswar Brahma in Mazbat, Thaneswar Basumatary, in place of Hitesh Basumatary, who quit the party, in Chapaguri (ST), Mrinul Deka in Rangiya and Pradip Debnath in Sarbhog.

The party did not announce any candidate for Kokrajhar West, which is at present represented by Pradip Brahma. A senior leader said two to three names are being considered but the party has not reached at a consensus yet. Sources said the name of former MLA Hemendra Nath Brahma is at the forefront.

The lists were declared after an emergent party meeting at Barama in Baksa district today.

The BPF's announcement of candidates comes at a time when national parties like the Congress and the BJP have started pre-poll campaigning with senior party leaders like BJP president Amit Shah and Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi touring Assam.

"We will not enter into any pre-poll alliance with any political party as we are considering to field our candidates in all the 16 Assembly constituencies in the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) area," party president and BTC chief Hagrama Mohilary had said earlier this week.

In areas outside the BTC, the party will go by the decision of the United Peoples' Front (UPF), a tribal political party, which the BPF is a part of. UPF working president Jayanta Rongpi said the the UPF would contest 35 seats across the state.

The BPF with 12 MLAs was part of the Congress-led government in Assam. It, however, snapped ties with the Congress and pulled out of the government last year.

Though the BPF has not decided on an alliance, Mohilary, who met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on December 5, had said that if the issues of the Bodo belt are resolved by the Prime Minister then they are ready to be with the BJP.

Mohilary, who expressed confidence that the BPF would win in at least 14 constituencies, claimed that the party would play a key role in forming the next government in the state and no political party would be able to form the government without the support of the BPF and the UPF.