The BJP, which is currently heading an alliance government in Assam since 2016, on Tuesday became part of the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC), 17 years after the politically important tribal autonomous body was constituted.
A five-member executive body, comprising two members each from the Bharatiya Janata Party and United Peoples’ Party Liberal (UPPL) and one member from the Gana Suraksha Party (GSP), assumed office on Tuesday after the swearing-in-ceremony in Kokrajhar, the headquarters of the 40-member BTC.
UPPL President Promod Boro became the Chief Executive Member (CEM) and his party’s senior leader Gobindo Chandra Basumatry took charge as Deputy CEM while BJP’s Gautam Das and Diganta Barua and GSP’s Ghanashyam Das assumed office as Executive Members.
Assam Chief Secretary Jishnu Barua administered the oath of office to the CEM and the four Executive Members in presence of Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, Health and Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and other political leaders and dignitaries.
As the President of the All Bodo Students’ Union, Promod Boro had played a significant role in signing the peace accord with four factions of the outlawed National Democratic Front of Boroland (NDFB) on January 27. Several leaders of these factions contested and won the BTC elections, held on December 7 and 10.
Meanwhile, Assam Pradesh Congress Committee has expelled Sajal Kumar Singha, the lone elected member of the Congress, from the party after he joined the BJP on Monday.
Outgoing CEM Hagrama Mohilary of Bodo Peoples’ Front (BPF) remained absent in the swearing-in-ceremony.
Promod Boro, after taking oath, expressed his gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Assam Chief Minister and Finance Minister for facilitating the peace and development in the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR) with the signing of the Bodo Accord in January.
Describing the Prime Minister as a visionary leader, the 45-year-old tribal leader said that Modi and Shah had taken the initiative to solve the problems of the region so that peace can prevail.
“Many governments, both at the Centre and the state, have come and gone but no such specific steps like bringing all the factions of NDFB together were taken earlier,” he added.
In the BTC polls, dubbed as the semifinal ahead of next year’s Assembly elections, the BJP, which heads Assam’s ruling coalition, entered into the BTR comprising four districts — Kokrajhar, Chirang, Baksa and Udalguri — by winning nine seats in the 40-member council as against one in 2015.
It fought against the BPF despite ruling Assam together since 2016 along with the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP).
The Hagrama Mohilary-led BPF, which has ruled the BTC ever since 2005 after the tribal autonomous body was constituted in 2003 as a political solution to Bodo agitation for a separate state, won 17 seats this time while UPPL bagged 12 seats. The opposition Congress and Gana Suraksha Parishad managed one seat each.
After the outcome of the BTC polls, the BJP dumped the BPF and announced to support its new ally UPPL and GSP to assume power in the BTC.
