Assam: Voting for 2nd phase of Bodoland Territorial Council election starts

BTC polls are first electoral exercise in Assam since the Covid-19 outbreak. 77% voting was reported in Baksa and Udalguri districts in the 1st phase of polls.

Voting for the second and final phase of election to the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) in Assam started on Thursday morning. A total of 111 candidates are in fray in the 19 constituencies in Kokrajhar and Chirang districts. Voting took place in 21 BTC constituencies in Baksa and Udalguri districts in the first phase of polling held on Monday.

Long queues of voters were seen outside most polling stations since early morning. (PTI Photo/File/representational)

Voting started at 7:30 am and will continue till 4:30 pm. Long queues of voters were seen outside most polling stations since early morning prior to the start of voting. A total of 10.23 lakh voters will exercise their vote on Thursday.

“Security arrangements are in place to ensure smooth polling and we expect voting to take place without any hiccups,” Bhaskar Phukan, deputy commissioner of Kokrajhar, said.

“As per Covid-19 protocols, face masks and sanitisers have been given to poll personnel and also for distribution among voters, if needed. Social distancing will also be maintained during polling,” he added.

Polling for the first phase on Monday had passed peacefully with over 77% voting reported in Baksa and Udalguri districts.

This is the first election being held in Assam since Covid-19 pandemic started. The polls were scheduled to be held in April but had to be postponed because of the pandemic and all the four districts under the BTC were placed under governor’s rule.

Assembly polls in Assam are due in March-April next year and the BTC polls are being viewed as a semi-final contest among the parties.

Since its formation in 2003, BTC had been governed by Hagrama Mohilary, a former rebel who now heads the Bodoland Peoples’ Front (BPF), a partner in the ruling coalition headed by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) with Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) as the third partner.

But relations between the BJP and BPF started souring after BTC was placed under governor’s rule. Both parties are now contesting the BTC polls separately. BPF has fielded candidates in 37 seats while the BJP is contesting 26 seats and supporting Independent candidates in the other seats.

Apart from BJP and BPF, opposition Congress and All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF), which have a tie-up for the assembly polls, are contesting a total of 20 seats.