BTC polls: NDA comes back to power
In the just declared final results for the Bodoland Territorial Council poll, BJP has emerged as the biggest gainer with winning 9 seats compared to one in 2015. In the hung House, the ruling Bodo Peoples’ Front (BPF) remains as the single largest party winning 17 seats. Although BJP and BPF are alliance partners in the Assam government, both had contested the BTC polls separately amid reports of a rift between them.
The BJP and BPF relation soured in March this year after polls to BTC was postponed due to COVID-19 and Governor Jagdish Mukhi assumed charge of the council. BPF wanted to extend the tenure of the council till polls. The BJP is running its first state government in Assam in alliance with the BPF and Asom Gana Parishad (AGP). The saffron party has 60 MLAs in the 126-member Assembly, while the BPF and the AGP have 14 and 12 MLAs.Formed in 2003, the Bodoland Territorial Council is an autonomous district council that goes to polls every five years. The United Peoples’ Party Liberal (UPPL) won 12 seats while the Congress and the Gana Suraksha Party (GSP) bagged one seat each. The election to the Council was held after a fresh Bodo Accord was signed in New Delhi on January 27 by the leaders of all four factions of the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB)- then All Bodo Students Union (ABSU) Chief Pramod Boro, then BTC Chief Hagrama Mohilary and Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal. The BTC election is considered as a semi-final to the Assam Assembly poll to be held early next year. edited by PK Chakravarty
