BJP becomes Kingmaker in Assam BTC election; will form council with UPPL

The result of Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) election has given the signal for which side the wind is brewing in Assam before the state assembly election scheduled to be held in 2021. The incumbent Bodoland Peoples’ Front became the single largest party with 17 seats while United People’s Party Liberal (UPPL) won 12 seats out of 40. BJP gave a spectacular show by winning 9 seats, up from 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.

BJP, 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. 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.”

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.