Dispur, Dec 14: The results of the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) election has given a major plus point for BJP in Assam Ahead of the assembly polls in Assam which is scheduled in 2021. In a first, BTC will witness a coalition-ruled council for the first since its formation in 2003 as NDA has secured a majority with The ruling Bodoland Peoples’ Front becoming the single largest party with 17 seats while United People’s Party Liberal (UPPL) won 12 seats out of 40. On the other hand, BJP gave an impressive performance by winning 9 seats, from winning 1 seat that the party had won in 2015. Congress and Gana Shakti Party (GSP) led by Kokrajhar MP Naba Kumar Sarania won one seat each.

 

 

With BJP winning big in this election, BJP along with UPPL and GSP are all set to form the new council in the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR). Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal has announced that UPPL president Promod Bodo will be the new Chief of BTC. The announcement was made in presence of all newly elected council members of BJP, UPPL and GSP.

 

Taking to Twitter, Union Home Minister Amit Shah tweeted, "NDA secured a comfortable majority in Assam BTC election. Congratulations to our ally UPPL, CM @sarbanandsonwal, @himantabiswa, @RanjeetkrDass and @BJP4Assam unit. I thank people of Assam for their continued faith in PM @narendramodi’s resolve towards a developed North East."

 

 

A significant meeting was held in Guwahati on Sunday between BJP, UPPL and GSP to discuss the formation of a new council in the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR) in presence of Assam state BJP president Ranjit Kumar Dass, BJP National General Secretary Dilip Kumar Saikia, Assam Finance Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma, UPPL president Promod Bodo and GSP president Naba Kumar Sarania.

 

Bodoland Peoples’ Front is also a constituent of the National Democratic Alliance and currently has three cabinet ministers in the state government. BPF Chief Hagrama Mohilary said in a press conference held in Kokrajhar on Sunday that BPF is still an ally party of the BJP-led Assam government and he appealed to the BJP's central and state leadership to help BPF to form a new council in the BTR. BPF was ruling Bodoland Territorial Area Districts (BTAD) consisting of four districts - Kokrajhar, Chirang, Baksa and Udalguri from the past one and half decades.

 

In 2015 BTC election, BPF won 20 council seats, while BJP won one, All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) bagged four and 15 by independent.

 

In this BTC elections, the counting of votes for 40 council seats began at 8 am on Saturday in ten subdivisional headquarters in Kokrajhar, Chirang, Baksa, and Udalguri districts - Kokrajhar, Gossaigaon, Chirang, Bijni, Tamulpur, Parbatjhora, Bhergaon, Mushalpur, and Udalguri, Salbari. The polling for 40 seats of the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) was held in two phases on December 7 and 10.

 

After signing the Bodo peace accord with the All Bodo Students' Union and some factions of the insurgent group National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB early this year and the formation of Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR), it is the first election in BTAD. The Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) election has become like a 'semi-final' of 2021. The Council, after its term ended on April 27, is currently being administered under the supervision of Governor Jagadish Mukhi.