BTC polls: BPF wins one seat, leading in 22

Guwahati, Sept 26 (PTI) The Bodoland Peoples' Front (BPF) won one seat and was leading in 22 out of the 40 seats of the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) on Friday, officials said.

The BJP won one seat and was leading in nine, while the United People's Party Liberal (UPPL) was ahead in seven seats.

BPF's Ganesh Kachari was declared winner in Suklai Serfang and BJP's Lakhi Das in Nagrijuli, both in Tamulpur district.

Counting of votes began at 8 am but it has been slow as votes have been cast in ballot papers, with the remaining results likely to come in late, an official said.

BPF chief Hagrama Mohilary, who had contested from two constituencies, was leading in Debargaon but trailing in Chirangduar, while the incumbent BTC chief Pramod Boro also contested from two seats - Dotma and Goibari - and was leading in both.

Elections to the 40-member council, comprising the five districts of Kokrajhar, Chirang, Baksa, Udalguri and Tamulpur, was held on September 22.

In the 12 constituencies of Kokrajhar district, the BPF was leading in nine, UPPL in two and BJP in one, while in Udalguri district, the BPF was ahead in seven seats, UPPL in one and BJP in two.

In Baksa district, which has six seats, the BPF was leading in three, BJP in two and UPPL in one.

In Chirang district, the BPF was ahead in three seats, while both the BJP and UPPL were ahead in two each.

The BJP was ahead in two seats and had won one, while BPF also secured a seat, and UPPL was leading in one in Tamulpur district.

Of the 40 seats in the BTC, 30 are reserved for Scheduled Tribe (ST) candidates, five for non-STs and the remaining five are open to both ST and non-ST candidates.

The alliance partners United Peoples' Party Liberal (UPPL), BJP and Gana Suraksha Party (GSP) have headed the outgoing Council.

In the last Council polls held in December 2020, the UPPL had won 12 seats, BJP nine and GSP one seat, while the Bodoland Peoples' Front (BPF), which had headed the Council for the previous three terms, emerged as the single largest party with 17 seats and Congress secured one seat with its elected member later joining the BJP.

The BPF was then BJP's alliance partner in the state government but the ruling party decided to join hands with the UPPL and the GSP to jointly form the Council.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had said on Thursday that the NDA will form the next council in the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR) though cancelling the campaign three days before elections due to the death of singer Zubeen Garg was a ''big setback for the party''.

''The last three days of the campaign were a big setback and this may adversely impact our performance but I am not worried as an NDA partner will form the Council'', Sarma said.

Both BPF and UPPL are NDA constituents.

This is the second council poll after a fresh Bodo Accord was signed in New Delhi on January 27, 2020. PTI DG DG RG