The Bodoland People’s Front won one seat and was leading in 22 out of the 40 seats in Assam’s Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) election, counting for which was underway late Friday evening, officials said.
The counting of votes began on Friday morning and was expected to continue till late night as the votes were cast on ballot papers, said the officials. The counting process has to be concluded by September 28, as per the schedule prepared by the State Election Commission.
According to the officials, Hagrama Mohilary-led BPF had won one seat and was leading in 22, while the BJP won one seat and was leading in nine, and the United People’s Party Liberal (UPPL) was ahead in seven seats.
The numbers suggest all eyes will be on political manoeuvring after the results are declared. The UPPL, which is currently in third place, led the outgoing BTC after winning the 2020 elections with the support of the BJP and one elected member from a regional outfit, Gana Suraksha Party. Even last time, the BPF, which had held the BTC since its first election in 2005, had emerged as the single largest party, winning 17 seats. However, the BJP, which had won 9 seats and had been the BPF’s ally at the state level since 2016, lent its support instead to the UPPL, which had won 12 seats.
Though the UPPL is a part of the NDA and the parties had successfully contested as allies in both the 2021 Assembly elections and last year’s parliamentary elections, they have contested the BTC elections independently.
(With PTI inputs)
