BPF Wins Majority In BTC Elections With 17 Seats

The Bodoland People's Front (BPF) led by Hagrama Mohilary has won the most seats in the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) elections with 17 seats amid a bitter campaign run by all the contesting parties.

The counting of votes commenced early Saturday and saw a neck-to-neck fight between BPF, United People's Party Liberal (UPPL) and the BJP.

The UPPL won 12 seats while BJP won 9 seats in the much awaited BTC elections. Congress and the BSP on the other hand won 1 seat each.

BPF chief Hagrama Mohilary founded the party in 2005 after his militant organization Bodo Liberation Tigers had laid down arms, disbanded itself and signed the peace accord with the Centre and the state government in 2003.

BPF under Mohilary's leadership has won all the three elections to the council so far since its inception.

The voting began on December 7 in the Udalguri and Baksa districts of Bodoland Territorial Region for phase I and concluded on December 10 for phase II in districts of Kokrajhar and Chirang.

78 per cent voter turnout was recorded on December 10 for 19 seats in BTC's second and final phase of polling held in Kokrajhar and Chirang districts. While 77.01 per cent of voter turnout was registered during the first phase of voting carried out in Udalguri and Baksa districts.