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Bodoland People’s Front returns to power with majority in Assam’s BTC, ousts UPPL-BJP alliance
BPF bagged 28 seats, while UPPL and BJP won 7 and 5 seats respectively. The Congress failed to win any seats, according to figures released by the State Election Commission
Guwahati: The Bodoland People’s Front (BPF) made a comeback after five years, emerging as the single largest party with an absolute majority in Assam’s Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) election, ousting the ruling United People’s Party Liberal (UPPL) and its ally, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
BPF bagged 28 seats, while UPPL and BJP won 7 and 5 seats respectively. The Congress failed to win any seats, according to figures released by the State Election Commission (SEC) on Saturday.
Voting for the 40-member council was held on Monday, and counting of votes took place on Friday and continued until the early hours of Saturday.
“The counting of votes for all 40 constituencies of the BTC election commenced on Friday and was completed peacefully on Saturday under the supervision of the commission. The counting process was conducted smoothly and in accordance with the prescribed procedures,” a statement issued by the SEC said.
Prominent winners included BPF chief Hagrama Mohilary from the Debargaon seat, Rihon Daimari of BPF from Bhairabkunda, UPPL chief and present chief executive member (CEM) of BTC Pramod Boro from Goibari, and BJP’s Rekha Rani Das Boro from Baganpara.
The assembly elections in the state are due in March-April next year. Of the total 126 seats in the Assam assembly, 15 are from the five districts that fall under BTC.
“The results were not what we expected, but we accept them with humility and congratulate BPF on their win. One reason why we failed to get the expected outcome was due to disruption in campaigning towards the end following Zubeen Garg’s death,” chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said during a Facebook live, thanking everyone for a peaceful election.
“I congratulate BPF on their win and thank people for helping in conducting the election peacefully. We tried our best to work for people in Bodoland and accept the verdict given by the people. Our party was born to serve people of Bodoland, we will continue to support the new government in all issues that benefit the people and for implementation of the Bodo Peace Accord,” UPPL chief and outgoing chief executive member (CEM) of BTC, Pramod Bodo said in a press conference.
“This historic victory is the fruit of people’s trust and the tireless efforts of our supporters and workers. We sincerely thank each of you for your hard work and dedication. Together, we will build a brighter, stronger, and prosperous BTC,” BPF chief Hagrama Mohilary posted on his Facebook page.
