A CORRESPONDENT
TANGLA: Amid a frenzied run-up to the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) election, the Hagrama Mohilary-led Bodoland People’s Front (BPF) has sought to regain lost ground with a slew of promises. Central to its campaign pitch is the assurance that a Mini BTC Secretariat would be set up in Udalguri if the party returns to power. The proposal is being projected as a game-changer for residents who now face the ordeal of travelling to Kokrajhar, the present headquarter and administrative hub of the council, for routine matters like obtaining a land sale or purchasing NOC which is otherwise granted by district commissioners in the rest of the state.
The BPF, which helmed the BTC for 17 years before being ousted in 2020, is banking on its development track record. Another plank being pushed by the BPF is its assurance to protect people residing on government land. With the State Government’s eviction drives sparking widespread anxiety, the BPF has promised to resist ‘arbitrary displacement’ of poor and marginalized families—an issue expected to resonate deeply with sections of voters.
Meanwhile, the United People’s Party Liberal (UPPL), led by incumbent BTC CEM Pramod Boro, has countered these promises with its own development-oriented pitch. The UPPL is highlighting schemes in education, health, and welfare and permanent peace being restored particularly after the BTR pact signed in 2020 claiming it has ‘brought transparency to BTC governance’ after years of BPF rule.
The BJP, for its part, is banking on its State Government welfare schemes and playing it safe, maintaining cordial relations with both the parties indicating a post-poll alliance with the party that secures majority seats.
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