Challenges of conducting BTC polls

Poll fever has gripped the Bodoland Territorial Area Districts (BTAD) once again. However, the challenges of holding elections to Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) in COVID-19 pandemic situation is far from over. The Assam State Election Commission is yet to announce fresh dates for the BTC elections earlier scheduled to be held on April 4 but had to be deferred on March 20 due to COVID-19 restrictions. The news of the commission exploring various measures to be taken for adhering to pandemic guidelines during the polls has triggered fresh enthusiasm among parties and candidates. The commission's move is guided by the understanding that COVID-19 infection is not going to be over so soon, and therefore the Constitutional authorities must explore ways to perform their mandated functions in a pandemic situation. The provisions of the Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution vest the power in BTC to govern administration in BTAD. As BTC elections could not be held before the expiry of the term of the previous council body on April 27, BTAD was placed under Governor's Rule. There are indications that the elections might be held sometime in September or October. The primary concern of maintaining the physical distance norms at the polling stations still remains the major challenge for the commission as infections in the state has increased much more than in March when the polls were deferred. The Commission has asked the deputy commissioners of the four BTAD districts- Kokrajhar, Chirang, Baksa and Udalguri to carry out survey and find out how many auxiliary and additional polling stations will be required if elections are to be held under the mandatory physical distancing regime. The State has also learnt how to manage the pandemic situation over this period, the knowledge of which was not there initially. The Mizoram State Election Commission has announced that elections 558 village councils will be held on August 27. The commission will be issuing Standard Operating Procedure and protocols that need to be followed in view of the pandemic situation. The Assam State Election Commission will be able to draw lessons on efficacies and challenges of such SOPs from practical experiences of Mizoram SEC and will have enough time to improvise its own SOP-based on experience of the neighbouring state in conducting the polls in pandemic situation. The Assam SEC has to ensure that physical distance norms are also strictly adhered to by parties and candidates during electioneering. Politically, the BTC polls are not just going to decide which party is going to rule BTAD for the next five years they are also going to shape new political equations for the state ahead of 2021 Assembly polls. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has announced the end of the political honeymoon with Bodoland People's Front (BPF) in BTC polls even though the two have not parted ways in the Sarbananda Sonowal-led ruling coalition government in the state. The BJP has made it clear that the party is going alone in BTC polls. The BPF is looking at another consecutive term to rule BTAD and was unilaterally maintaining that the alliance between the two parties will continue. Imposition of Governor's rule in the BTAD widened the differences between the two coalition partners and the BPF too has now decided to go alone in BTC polls. Prior to stitching a political alliance with the BJP, the BPF had alliance with the Congress and the two parties shared power at Dispur for eight years. BTAD accounts for 12 of 126 Assembly seats and is a fulcrum of power politics at Dispur. The principal opposition party in BTC- the United People's Party, Liberal also has high stakes in this BTC polls. The UPPL hopes that its new chief and former All Bodo Students' Union (ABSU) Chief Pramod Boro to be a formidable challenger to the BPF Chief Hagrama Mahillary who held the office of BTC chief for the past three consecutive terms. The elections are being held after the signing of the new Bodo Accord in which the ABSU was one of the signatories apart from the four factions of the now disbanded insurgent outfit National Democratic Front of Boroland besides the United Bodo People's Organization. The new accord signed on January 27 promises more legislative, executive, and administrative autonomy to BTC under Sixth Schedule, expansion of the council territory and renaming of the new expanded autonomous region as Bodoland Territorial Region. However, vested forces often played upon the complexities of demographic composition in BTAD to expose deep linguistic, ethnic, and religious fault lines in the autonomous region to trigger violent clashes in the past. Apart from focusing on challenges of adhering to COVID-19 guidelines, making an objective assessment of law and order situation in BTAD and neighbouring districts will also be critical to holding a free and fair poll in BTC.