Guwahati, Aug 11: In a significant development ahead of Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) elections—likely to be held in September—two rival regional forces may join hands.

The influential All Bodo Students’ Union (ABSU), along with several other key Bodo organisations, has called on the United People’s Party Liberal (UPPL) and the Bodoland People’s Front (BPF) to contest the polls together. The BTC governs the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR), comprising five districts in western and north-central Assam, where the Bodos are the largest ethnic group.

The appeal is also backed by the Bodo Sahitya Sabha and associations of former members of the disbanded Bodoland Liberation Tigers and National Democratic Front of Bodoland.

ABSU president Dipen Boro confirmed that a formal proposal was sent to UPPL president and BTC chief Pramod Boro, as well as to BPF chief Hagrama Mohilary, on August 5. “We expect a positive response by August 12. People want an end to this rivalry, as they do not want the region to slip back into the violence of the past,” he said.

The UPPL currently rules the BTC in alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is eyeing greater influence in the region after consolidating control over two other tribal councils under the Sixth Schedule—the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council and the North Cachar Hills Autonomous Council. The BPF, a former BJP ally, was the single-largest party in the last BTC polls held in December 2020, winning 17 seats. The UPPL secured 12, the BJP nine, and Congress and the Gana Suraksha Party one seat each.

Subsequent defections from the BPF and Congress strengthened the UPPL and BJP, raising their tallies to 15 and 14 seats, respectively. With campaigns now underway, the possibility of a UPPL-BPF alliance could reshape the electoral battlefield in the BTR.

Elections to the 40-member Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) are expected to be held in September and the BJP has decided to contest the polls independently.

The United Peoples’ Party Liberal (UPPL), BJP and Gana Suraksha Party (GSP) are alliance partners in administering the current 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 the 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.

The council polls were held after a fresh Bodo Accord was signed in New Delhi on January 27, 2020 by the leaders of all four factions of the NDFB, then All Bodo Students Union (ABSU) chief Pramod Bodo, Mohilary and the then Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal.

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