Guwahati: Draft electoral rolls for the 40 constituencies of the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR) was published on Tuesday, setting the stage for the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) elections expected to be held in Sept.The draft electoral rolls include 26.69 lakh voters, reflecting an increase of over three lakh voters compared to the electorate size during the 2020 election. This rise is primarily due to the inclusion of 81 new villages under BTR and natural population growth over the last five years.The BTC election is a key political event in Assam’s tribal and autonomous territorial framework.The 2020 election, held in two phases on Dec 7 and 10, resulted in a fractured mandate with no single party winning a majority in the 40-seat council.The Bodoland People’s Front, which was in power in the council since emerged as the single largest party with 17 seats but fell short of a majority. This led to the United People’s Party Liberal (UPPL)-BJP alliance to form the executive council, with UPPL’s Pramod Boro becoming the chief executive member.The election was significant as it followed a period of governor’s rule after the previous council’s term ended amid political instability, and came against the backdrop of shifting alliances and intense campaigning.The 2020 elections, which was originally scheduled for Apr 4 was postponed due to COVID-19. The council’s term expired on Apr 27, after which governor’s rule was imposed until new elections.BPF formed the first elected executive council in 2005. Since then, the BPF remained in power until the 2020 elections. The party remained in power for 15 years.No party crossing the majority threshold in 2020 indicated the politically plural and competitive nature of Bodoland politics, where tribal identity issues, development promises, and leadership perceptions strongly influenced voting patterns.
