Vote counting kicked off at 8 a.m. on Friday in Kokrajhar, Assam, for the fifth general elections of the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC). Security stays tight as officials tally results from the September 22 polling across the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR).
In Kokrajhar district alone, which covers 12 of the BTC’s 40 seats, 100 candidates vied for spots. That breaks down to 43 from the Kokrajhar sub-division, 48 from Gossaigaon, and one from Parbatjhora. Overall, 316 candidates ran in the elections spanning five districts: Kokrajhar, Chirang, Udalguri, Baksa, and Tamulpur.
Current BTC Chief Pramod Boro, who leads the United People’s Party Liberal (UPPL), faces stiff competition from Assam’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Boro points out that his government’s work has brought much-needed peace to the BTR after years of unrest.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma ramped up support for the BJP with multiple campaign rallies in the region. As the party unveiled its manifesto, or Sankalp Patra, Sarma promised a fresh start for BTR. He highlighted plans to roll out key schemes, including adding 500,000 women to the Assam Orunodoi Scheme and the Mahila Udyamita Scheme. Girl students in BTR will also benefit from the Nijut Moina Scheme. On top of that, the BJP aims to secure constitutional protections and land rights for locals.
Last time around, the BJP and UPPL teamed up to form the BTC government. This election sees challenges from Hagrama Mohilary’s Bodoland People’s Front (BPF), the Congress party, and various regional groups.
The 40 BTC constituencies break down like this: 30 spots reserved for Scheduled Tribes (ST), five for non-ST candidates, and five open to all. A whopping 2.658 million voters turned out at 3,279 polling stations.
The Assam State Election Commission oversees the process, with results expected to shape the future of this key autonomous region in northeast India.
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