Bodoland Territorial Council poll: Bodo Peoples' Front wins 17 seats, fails to cross majority mark

Guwahati: The results of the 40-member Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) poll have led to a hung House with the ruling Bodo Peoples’ Front (BPF) emerging as the single largest party winning 17 seats, election officials said on Sunday. The United Peoples’ Party Liberal (UPPL) won 12 seats, the BJP nine, while the Congress and the Gana Suraksha Party (GSP) bagged one seat each. The BPF and BJP, both alliance partners in the state government, had contested the BTC election separately and both parties had indulged in a bitter campaign against each other. The BJP and the UPPL did not announce any formal alliance but both have indicated a possible post-poll pact in case of a hung Council. UPPL chief Promod Brahma, who won from two seats - Goyrabari and Kokilabari in Baksa district - BJP Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, BJP state unit president Ranjit Kumar Das, and BJP National General Secretary and Mangaldoi MP Dilip Saikia were engaged in Saturday late-night deliberations on the BTC poll and their decision regarding the formation of the Council is likely to be announced later in the day. Sarma told reporters that the decision will be announced after discussions with Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal. The election to the Council was held after a fresh Bodo Accord was signed in New Delhi on 27 January 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 to be semi-final to the Assam Assembly poll due in April next year. The counting of the ballot papers for the 40-member house began on Saturday and continued till Sunday morning. Among the prominent winners is BPF Chief Hagrama Mohilary who won from the Debergaon seat but lost the Kachugaon seat to UPPL candidate Ukil Mushahary. Some other prominent winners include Fresh Mushahary, Dhananjoy Basumatary, Saikhong Basumatary, James Basumatary, Paniram Brahma of the BPF, UPPL’s Nilot Swargiary, Sanjoy Swargiary, Daibausa Bodo and Ranjit Basumatary and BJP’s Bhabendra Bodo, Diganta Barua, Abhiram Mahanayak and Dipak More. Among the prominent losers is the outgoing Deputy Chief Executive Member Khampa Borgoyary, Shyam Chundi of the BPF while all four sitting members of the AIUDF lost with the party failing to open an account in the Council polls. The election to the BTC covers the four districts of Kokrajhar, Chirang, Baksa, and Udalguri which falls under the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR). The poll was earlier scheduled on April four but the Assam State Election Commission had deferred the election to 20 March due to the COVID-19 pandemic after the withdrawal of nomination papers and preparation of the final list of candidates on 22 March. The filing of nominations and scrutiny had been completed by 20 March and the term of the house ended on 27 April with Governor Jagadish Mukhi taking over the administration of the Council.