Assam: BPF leads in 22 BTC seats, wins one as counting continues; BJP, UPPL trail

The Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) elections saw the Bodoland Peoples’ Front (BPF) win one seat and lead in 22 others as counting progressed on Friday, officials confirmed.

The BJP secured one seat and was leading in nine, while the United Peoples’ Party Liberal (UPPL) was ahead in seven constituencies. BPF candidates Ganesh Kachari in Suklai Serfang and BJP’s Lakh Dias in Nagrijuli, both in Tamulpur district, were declared winners.

Counting began at 8 am and continued through the day. In Debargan, BPF candidate Hagrama Mohilary led in Chirang district, while incumbent BTC chief Pramod Boro of the UPPL contested two seats—Dotma and Goibari—and was leading in both.

The BTC elections cover 40 seats, with five seats each in Kokrajhar, Chirang, Baksa, Udalguri, and Tamulpur districts. Of these, 30 are reserved for Scheduled Tribe (ST) candidates and five for non-STs, while the remaining five are open for both ST and non-ST candidates.

Also Read: Hagrama hits the lead: BPF marches ahead in BTC polls, UPPL and BJP play catch-up

The alliance partners—UPPL, BJP, and Gana Suraksha Party (GSP)—had held 12, 17, and one seat respectively in the 2020 council. BPF had previously won the majority of seats and ruled in alliance with UPPL and BJP.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma stated that the NDA will form the next council in BTC, despite BPF’s strong performance. “The last three days of the campaign were challenging, and this may adversely affect our performance, but I am confident that an NDA partner will form the Council,” Sarma said.

This is the second council election after the signing of the new Bodo Accord in January 2020, which brought peace and political restructuring in the region.

The counting is ongoing, with results from several constituencies still awaited.