The Bodoland People’s Front (BPF) stormed back to power on Saturday, winning 28 of 40 seats in the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) polls and ousting the ruling UPPL-BJP alliance — the BJP’s first major electoral setback in Assam since 2016.
The BJP and its ally, United People’s Party Liberal (UPPL), contested separately. The UPPL bagged seven seats, the BJP five, while Congress and Independents drew a blank. Counting began on Friday and concluded on Saturday, the Assam State Election Commission said.
In 2020, the BPF had won 17 seats, the BJP nine and the UPPL 12. Despite being the largest party then, the BPF was kept out as the BJP and UPPL joined hands. This time, Hagrama Mohilary’s party secured seven more than the majority mark. Hagrama Mohilary is the BPF president and a former militant leader-turned-politician. Four Muslim and two Adivasi winners on BPF tickets underlined its wider social base, something BJP and UPPL failed to achieve.
Kokrajhar-based Preetam Brahma Choudhury cited several reasons for the strong comeback staged by the BPF:
n Hagrama Mohilary’s grassroots connect — intact because of development and job generation during his 2003–20 reign.
n UPPL is seen as a junior partner to the BJP, which alienated large sections.
n The BJP’s stance on land rights — Dilip Saikia’s remarks equating Bodo and non-Bodo land rights undermined Sixth Schedule safeguards.
n UPPL’s consultant hires — around 60 fellows whose “development vision” failed to resonate locally.
n A strong desire for a regional party to run the BTC.
The result is a wake-up call ahead of the 2026 Assembly polls. After delimitation, the Bodoland region has 15 Assembly seats and influences 10 more. In 2021, the BPF had won three.