Updated: December 7, 2020 5:23:42 pm
Interior Minister Amit Shah, Assam CM Sarbananda Sonowal and Bodo leaders after the signing of the Bodo peace agreement in January. (Photo: PTI / Archive)
Elections to Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) in Assam began on Monday, and the second phase will be held on December 10. Elections follow Bodo Agreement signed earlier this year and described as the “final and complete solution” to the long-standing Bodo problem. The outcome of these local council elections, driven by the Sixth Program of the Constitution, could also be crucial in Assam’s Assembly elections next year.
What is the Bodoland Territorial Council?
The BTC is an autonomous and autonomous body under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, a special provision that allows for greater political autonomy and decentralized governance in certain tribal areas of the Northeast.
The Bodos, a plains-dwelling tribe, constitute the largest community with programmed tribe status in Assam, accounting for around 5-6% of the state’s population. They have long fought for Bodoland, a sovereign ethnic homeland (later a state within India). Starting in the mid-1980s, this demand gave rise to an armed insurgent movement, fought by various militant groups. To negotiate peace, three agreements were signed between the Center, the State and the Bodo groups: in 1993, 2003 and the last one, in January 2020, which apparently has led to the end of the armed insurgencies and the suspension of the demand for statehood.
The 1993 agreement led to the formation of a Bodo Autonomous Council, and the 2003 agreement resulted in the BTC. The BTC would have under its jurisdiction four Bodo-inhabited districts of western Assam (Udalguri, Baksa, Chirang and Kokrajhar), together known as the Bodo Territorial Autonomous District (BTAD), which has now been renamed the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR ). .
According to the website of the Assam government, the aim of the BTC is “to fulfill the economic, educational and linguistic aspiration and the preservation of the territorial rights, socio-cultural and ethnic identity of the Bodos.” The BTC, a 46-member council, is headed by the Chief Executive Officer (CEM).
This week, a new council and chief will be elected.
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Who controls BTC today?
Following the 2003 agreement, three BTC elections were held in 2005, 2010 and 2015. In total, the Bodoland Popular Front (BPF) led by Hagrama Mohilary, formerly called the Bodo People’s Progressive Front, was elected to the power. This group, also an ally of the BJP in the state and the center, has its origins in the Bodo Liberation Tigers, a former militant group, which joined mainstream politics after surrendering their arms and signing the 2003 agreement. Yes Well Mohilary has enjoyed CEM status since 2005, and his party is associated with the BJP both in the Center and in the state, the two are competing separately in the upcoming BTC elections. 📣 Follow Express explained on Telegram
What made BJP take on its own ally?
The BJP is not only contesting the BTC’s 40 elected seats (it has 46 seats, the other six nominated), it has also taken an aggressive stance against its ally, the BPF. In the run-up to the elections, BJP Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and BPF’s Mohilary have publicly clashed with each other.
According to Rajan Pandey, Assistant Professor of Political Science, Royal Global University, Guwahati, the BJP, which until now had a minimal presence in BTC (it won just one seat in 2015) is likely to open your account but is unlikely to end up as main actor in this election. “However, he has decided to compete on his own: one, he is confident in the success of the agreement that was signed under his government, and two, he hopes to divide the non-tribal votes (which generally go to the BPF) and in turn, help the Liberal Party United (UPPL) to come to power, ”he said.
The UPPL has Pramod Boro, the former president of the influential All Bodo Student Union (ABSU), who was a key signatory to the 2020 agreement. “Many feel the UPPL is ready to increase its count on this choice, since it has the support of ABSU, which was essential to achieve the agreement, ”said Pandey. “The new agreement is seen to mark the beginning of an era of peace. In addition, it has a number of provisions for development and more control for the BTC. Bodo voters would like to give credit to the people who back him and therefore a lot of votes can go to the UPPL. “
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This works for the BJP, which can then be assisted by the UPPL in Assembly elections. Observers say that BTC elections generally influence Assembly elections as well. “The BTR region has 12 seats in the Assembly [out of 126 in Assam]”Said Dr Sangrang Brahma, Bodoland University Librarian,“ So whoever wins in the BTC elections can potentially become a king in the Assembly elections. Furthermore, BTC prefers to be on good terms with those in power at the state level, to ensure that the Council obtains funds. “
To what extent can the demographics of BTR districts influence elections?
The BTR is home to several communities in addition to the Bodos: Bengali Muslims, Assamese, Adivasis, Koch-Rajbongshis, Rabhas, Garos, Nepalese, etc. Although no official demographic data are available for the non-Bodo and Bodo populations, it is estimated that the non-Bodo communities represent almost 70% of the population. The gaps (violent clashes in 2012 and 2014) between non-Bodos and Bodos have marked the region, often manifesting politically during the Lok Sabha elections, where one seat (Kokrajhar) encompasses the four districts of BTR. For example, in the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the non-Bodo votes were consolidated in favor of Naba Kumar Sarania, a former militant of the Asom United Liberation Front, who ran as an independent.
The Lok Sabha seat, 6 of the 12 Assembly seats and 30 of the 40 seats in the BTC are reserved for STs. However, due to the demographic deficit of the Bodos, the vote of the non-Bodo, if consolidated, can be decisive.
What are the other parties to the fray?
Apart from the UPPL, BJP and BPF, the Congress and the AIUDF have allied and contested 19 seats. Congresswoman Sarania has launched the Gana Surakha Party (GSP), which is contesting the 40 seats.
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