Guwahati is set for a key political exercise on Monday as elections to the 40-member Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) in Assam kick off, with 316 candidates contesting, PTI reported.
Polling will be held from 7.30 am to 4 pm across 3,359 booths in the five BTC-administered districts of Kokrajhar, Baksa, Chirang, Udalguri, and Tamulpur. Officials from the Assam State Election Commission confirmed that all measures have been put in place to prevent any untoward incidents during voting.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma actively campaigned across the region, with the BJP contesting without an alliance for the first time. The United Peoples’ Party Liberal (UPPL), led by incumbent BTC chief Pramod Boro, and the Bodoland Peoples’ Front (BPF) have also been engaging voters through extensive outreach programmes.
Polling personnel have already been deployed to remote booths, including 187 stations managed entirely by female staff. A total of 26,58,153 electors, including 13,34,600 women, are eligible to cast their votes.
Also read: Campaigning for Bodoland Territorial Council poll ends on Sept 20
Repolling, if necessary, will be conducted on September 24, with counting scheduled for September 26. The election process is expected to conclude by September 28.
Of the 40 seats, 30 are reserved for Scheduled Tribes, five for non-ST candidates, and the remaining five are open to both ST and non-ST candidates. Currently, the UPPL governs the council in coalition with the BJP and the Gana Suraksha Party (GSP).
In the previous council elections, the BPF emerged as the single largest party with 17 seats, the UPPL won 12, the BJP nine, and the GSP secured one seat. Congress had won one seat, which later merged with the BJP. The last polls were held following the signing of the fresh Bodo Accord in January 2020.
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