BPF Secures Landslide Victory in Bodoland Territorial Council Elections with 28 of 40 Seats

Hagrama Mohilary

Guwahati:

The Bodoland People's Front (BPF), under the leadership of Hagrama Mohilary, has achieved a significant victory in the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) elections in Assam, securing 28 out of 40 seats, according to official reports released on Saturday.

The previously ruling alliance partners, United People's Party Liberal (UPPL) and BJP, finished considerably behind with seven and five seats respectively, marking a substantial decrease from their previous tallies of 12 and nine seats.

Mohilary emerged victorious in the Debargaon constituency but was defeated in Chirangduar by former associate Khampa Borgoyary, who had switched allegiance to the UPPL.

Outgoing BTC chief Pramod Boro won in Goimari but lost his Dotma seat to BPF candidate Prakash Basumatary.

Notable winners included former minister and BPF candidate Rihon Daimari from Bhairabkunda and Rekharani Das Boro, a former AGP minister who joined BJP, from the Baganpara constituency.

In the 2020 elections, the BPF had secured the position of single largest party with 17 seats, but the council was formed by UPPL in coalition with BJP and the Gana Suraksha Party (GSP).

It is worth noting that BPF is also part of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

The elections for the 40-member council, which encompasses the five districts of Kokrajhar, Chirang, Baksa, Udalguri, and Tamulpur, took place on September 22.

Voter participation was robust, with over 78 percent of the 26,58,153 registered voters casting their ballots across 3,359 polling stations. The electorate comprised 13,23,536 males, 13,34,600 females, and 17 individuals of other genders.

Among the 40 council seats, 30 are reserved for Scheduled Tribe (ST) candidates, five for non-STs, and five seats are open to both ST and non-ST candidates.

The outgoing council administration was a coalition of UPPL, BJP, and GSP.

In the previous council elections in 2020, UPPL won 12 seats, BJP secured nine, and GSP obtained one, while the BPF emerged as the single largest party with 17 seats. Congress won a single seat, with the elected member later joining the BJP.

During that period, BPF was a state government alliance partner with BJP. However, the ruling party chose to form a coalition with UPPL and GSP for council formation.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma stated on Thursday that the NDA would establish the next council in the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR), though he acknowledged that canceling campaign activities three days before the elections due to singer Zubeen Garg's death was a "big setback for the BJP."

This marks the second council election since the signing of a new Bodo Accord in New Delhi on January 27, 2020.