BPF sweeps Bodo council polls

Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Saturday congratulated Bodoland People’s Front (BPF) Chief Hagrama Mohilary for BPF’s win in the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) polls held recently.
“We respect the people’s verdict and wish that the new members in BTC will work relentlessly for all round development of the people in BTAD areas,” Gogoi said in a letter sent to Mohilary.
He also wished that the swearing-in ceremony, scheduled to be held tomorrow at Kokrajhar, passes off peacefully.
The ruling BPF emerged winners for the third consecutive term in Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) winning 20 of the 40 seats, falling one short of majority.
The People’s Coordination for Democratic Rights (PCDR) came second with seven seats while the AIUDF and BJP opened its account in the Council with four and one seats respectively while independents secured eight seats in the polls held in four Bodoland Territorial Area Districts (BTAD) of Kokrajhar, Chirang, Baksa and Udalguri on April 8.
The results were declared on April 11.
The Congress, which had won three seats in the 2010 polls, failed to win a single seat this time while the BPF’s tally came down from 33 to 20.
There are 46 territorial councils constituencies in the BTC but elections were held for 40 as Assam Governor nominates six members to the Council from the unrepresented communities.
The BTC came into existence in 2003 as part of the Memorandum of Understanding between the Centre, the state government and Bodo Liberation Tigers (BLT). The first polls for the Council was held in 2003 and BPF had won the majority. It retained power for the second consecutive term in 2010. (PTI)