BTC Election Results: 316 candidates vie for power in key Bodoland polls

Bodoland Territorial Council elections

The counting of votes for the fifth ccommenced at 8 am on Friday under a blanket of tight security, with the results set to determine the political direction of the strategic autonomous region in Assam.

The electoral fortunes of 316 candidates across 40 constituencies will be decided today. The polls, which were conducted on Monday, saw a substantial electorate of 26.58 lakh voters cast their ballots across 3,279 polling stations.

As per a FPJ report, the counting process is being closely watched, with Kokrajhar district alone accounting for 12 of the total seats and 100 candidates in the fray.

The election pits the current BTC chief, Pramod Boro of the United People's Party Liberal (UPPL), against a formidable challenge from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which leads the state government in Assam.

The two parties had previously governed the council in a coalition following the last elections. Also in contention is the Hagrama Mohilary-led Bodoland People’s Front (BPF), the Congress and other regional parties.

In the run-up to the vote, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma campaigned extensively throughout the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR), highlighting the high stakes for the BJP.

Releasing the party’s ‘Sankalp Patra’ or manifesto, CM Sarma framed the election as the start of a “new journey” for the region. He pledged to extend state welfare schemes to the BTR, including enrolling five lakh women into the Orunodoi and Mahila Udyamita schemes and providing benefits for girl students under the Nijut Moina Scheme.

The Chief Minister also committed to working towards “constitutional safeguards and land rights” for the people of the region, a key local issue.

Contrastingly, UPPL president Pramod Boro has centred his campaign on the theme of peace and stability, asserting that his administration has brought an end to years of violence in the BTR.

The electoral landscape is complex, with 30 of the 40 council constituencies reserved for Scheduled Tribes (ST), five for non-ST communities and five being unreserved.

The constituencies span five districts: Kokrajhar, Chirang, Udalguri, Baksa and Tamulpur. According to a FPJ’s breakdown, within Kokrajhar district, the Kokrajhar sub-division had 43 candidates, the Gossaigaon sub-division had 48 and Parbatjhora had one.