Guwahati, Sep 27 (IANS) The Bodoland Peoples’ Front (BPF) emerged as the frontrunner in the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) elections on Friday, winning one seat and leading in 22 others as counting of votes progressed through the day, officials said.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) opened its account with one victory and was ahead in nine constituencies, while the United Peoples’ Party Liberal (UPPL) led in seven seats.

BPF’s Ganesh Kachari clinched Suklai Serfang, while BJP’s Lakh Dias secured the Nagrijuli seat, both in Tamulpur district.

Counting began at 8 a.m. on Friday across the 40 constituencies that make up the BTC, spread across Kokrajhar, Chirang, Baksa, Udalguri, and Tamulpur districts.

Of these seats, 30 are reserved for Scheduled Tribes (STs), five for non-STs, and the remaining five are open to both ST and non-ST candidates.

Former BTC chief and BPF leader Hagrama Mohilary was leading in Debargan constituency of Chirang district. Incumbent BTC chief Pramod Boro of the UPPL, who is contesting from two seats—Dotma and Goibari—was ahead in both.

The BTC elections are closely watched as they are the second since the signing of the Bodo Accord in January 2020, which brought an end to decades of unrest and paved the way for political restructuring in the region.

In the previous council formed in 2020, the BJP, UPPL, and Gana Suraksha Party (GSP) alliance had together secured a majority, winning 17, 12, and one seat respectively. The BPF, which had earlier dominated the council, later aligned with its former rivals.

Despite the BPF’s strong showing this time, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma expressed confidence that the BJP would perform well once the results are out.

“The last three days of the campaign were challenging and may have impacted our performance. But I am confident that the BJP will emerge as a strong contender once we get final counting results,” Sarma told reporters.

Results from several constituencies are still awaited as counting continues late into the evening.

–IANS

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