Assam: Peace takes a backseat as anti-incumbency, corruption cloud BTC polls

A CORRESPONDENT

TANGLA: With the 2025 Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) election round the corner, political parties have once again turned to 'peace' as a central campaign theme while integrity, development, and accountability are shaping voter sentiment on the ground.

Chief Executive Member (CEM) and UPPL President Pramod Boro, citing the 2020 Bodo Peace Accord, has placed peace at the forefront of his party's pitch to voters, claiming it as the foundation for development across the five districts of Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR). The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), a coalition partner in the current BTC administration, too has highlighted the restoration of peace in the region as one of its key achievements.

However, ground reports suggest that voters are no longer swayed by rhetoric alone, and peace, while valued, may not be the deciding factor this time. A palpable anti-incumbency wave is brewing across several constituencies of the BTC, particularly against sitting BJP Members of Council Legislative Assembly (MCLAs). Allegations of massive corruption, misappropriation of public funds, and disproportionate accumulation of properties by some elected representatives particularly in Udalguri district seats have sparked disillusionment among the electorate. From delayed road projects, delay in appointments to Grade III and Grade IV jobs conducted by Central Selection Board (CSB) BTC to irregularities in beneficiary schemes including the PMAY-U to nepotism in selection of beneficiaries in Arunodoi scheme, public resentment is growing.

"There is peace, yes, but also pin drop silence on corruption. What good is peace if it is used to loot public money. Photos of UPPL leaders with heaps of cash have gone viral multiple times. Even the Executive Members from the BJP have accumulated wealth and properties worth tens of crores," said Bhanita Nath, a resident of Tangla town which comes partly under Mwdaibari and Khalingduar BTC constituency. "We had voted with high hopes, but this government has disappointed us. People are demanding change," she added.

In several pockets of the BTR, including parts of Udalguri, Baksa, and Kokrajhar, BJP cadres are facing internal dissent. Grassroots workers and local leaders are openly urging the party to drop tainted and underperforming sitting members and field fresh candidates who can connect with the voters. "If the BJP doesn't act now and change the candidates, it will pay the price at the ballot box," said a party worker from Udalguri, requesting anonymity.

Though the UPPL and BJP continue to tout the peace accord as a milestone, voters appear to be more focused on performance, accountability, and good governance. Youth unemployment, inflation, poor healthcare access, and a lack of transparency in local governance have taken precedence in public discourse. The Opposition parties, including the Bodoland People's Front (BPF), Congress, All India Trinamool Congress, and Raijor Dal, are seizing the opportunity to highlight the ruling alliance's alleged failures. They argue that while the peace accord ended armed rebellion, it did little to address systemic corruption and economic disparities.

Political analysts echoed this sentiment. "Peace was a major emotional factor in 2020, but that capital has eroded," says Zakir Hussain, an Udalguri-based political analyst who has been closely monitoring the BTC election since 2005. "This time, voters are judging on the basis of lived experience, massive commission raj, and the anti-incumbency mood which is evident in several constituencies particularly in Udalguri district," he added.

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