The upcoming Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) elections, slated for September 22, are heavily influenced by promises of lasting peace. Political parties are intensely campaigning across the 40 constituencies spread over five districts of the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR), an area bordering Bhutan.
With campaigning entering its final days, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and BTC chief Pramod Boro of the United People’s Party Liberal (UPPL) recently held rallies.
In Hajoowa, Baksa district, Chief Minister Sarma emphasized the BJP’s crucial role in re-establishing peace in the BTR. This region had suffered from decades of extremist and political violence until 2020. Addressing the crowd in Koklabari, a constituency reserved for Scheduled Tribes (ST), Sarma stated, “Bodoland has experienced no unrest in the past few years. This achievement is thanks to the BJP.” He further assured residents that land in the BTR would remain with its ‘sons of the soil’ and not be transferred to large corporate entities.
These assurances come amidst allegations that the BJP plans to allocate land to major corporate houses for setting up thermal and solar power projects.
Meanwhile, approximately 100 kilometers east in Uttar Kalikhola, Udalguri district, Pramod Boro highlighted the UPPL’s commitment to peace as the foundation for multi-sector development initiatives. He pointed out that such progress was absent during the Bodoland People’s Front (BPF)’s 17-year rule. Addressing a significant gathering of predominantly Bengali Muslim and Adivasi communities in Nonwi Serfang, a non-ST constituency, Boro recalled, “During our 2020 campaign, the BPF attempted to instill fear by predicting widespread violence if the UPPL came to power. However, nothing of the sort occurred; instead, we cultivated an atmosphere of peace.” Notably, Boro paused his speech midway to respectfully observe the afternoon azan, the Muslim call to prayer, from a nearby mosque.
The BPF, led by former extremist-turned-politician Hagrama Mohilary, remains the UPPL’s primary competitor, even though the UPPL finds itself contesting against its current ally, the BJP, in numerous seats. Unlike the 2020 elections, the BJP and UPPL did not form a pre-poll alliance this time. The BJP is contesting 30 seats, while the UPPL has candidates in all 40 constituencies. The BPF and Congress, both contesting all 40 seats, are also actively promising lasting peace in the BTR if they are elected to power.