Guwahati, Sept 22: Polling was underway for the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) elections in Assam on Monday amid tight security.
Polling began at 7.30 am for the 40 seats in five districts — Baksa, Chirang, Kokrajhar, Tamulpur and Udalguri, with 316 candidates in fray. It will continue till 4 pm.
People lined up outside the 3,359 polling stations in good numbers during the initial hours to exercise their franchise, with no untoward incident reported so far, officials said.
A total of 26,58,153 people, including 13,34,600 women, are eligible to vote in the elections.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma urged the people of the five districts to go out and exercise their franchise.
“Your one vote makes all the difference and is the key to a thriving & developed BTR (Bodoland Territorial Region). Vote wisely, choose wisely,” he said in a post on X.
The state’s ruling BJP is contesting the BTC elections for the first time without an alliance. The Congress has also fielded candidates, besides some other smaller parties, but the main rivalry is between the United Peoples’ Party Liberal (UPPL), led by incumbent BTC chief Pramod Boro, and the Bodoland Peoples’ Front (BPF).
At present, the UPPL is in power in the council in coalition with the BJP and the Gana Suraksha Party (GSP).
In the last elections, the UPPL had won 12 seats, the BJP nine and GSP one seat.
The BPF, which was in power at the council for the previous three terms, emerged as the single largest party with 17 seats, and Congress secured one seat, but its member later joined the BJP.
A public holiday has been declared in the five districts for the elections.
The votes are scheduled to be counted on September 26.(PTI)
