Assam: Tribal Bodies Oppose Non-ST Nominations in BTC ST-Reserved Constituencies

KOKRAJHAR: Several tribal organisations, including the All Assam Tribal Students' Union (AATSU) and the Bodoland Janajati Suraksha Mancha (BJSM), oppose the nomination of Non-ST candidates in BTC ST-Reserved Constituencies in the upcoming BTC elections.

The organisations on Saturday submitted a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner of Kokrajhar opposing the nomination of non-Scheduled Tribe (non-ST) candidates in ST-reserved constituencies for the forthcoming Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR) Elections 2025.

The organisations strongly objected to what they termed an “attempt by political parties to bypass constitutional safeguards” and urged strict adherence to the provisions of the Sixth Schedule and the Representation of the People Act, 1951, which mandate that only Scheduled Tribe candidates can contest from ST-reserved seats.

Citing judicial precedents, the memorandum referred to the Gauhati High Court ruling in Janak Lal Basumatary & Anr. v. Naba Kumar Sarania (2014), where the court declared that “Sarania Kachari” is not a recognised ST and consequently set aside Naba Kumar Sarania’s election from the Kokrajhar (ST) constituency. The groups also mentioned the 2024 High Court judgement in WP(C)/1394/2024, which upheld the rejection of Sarania’s claim to ST (Plains) status, and a 2018 PIL directive prohibiting the issuance of ST certificates to non-notified communities.

The memorandum demanded strict scrutiny of all nomination papers in ST-reserved constituencies and rejection of any non-ST candidate’s nomination, transparency in the scrutiny process with published reasons for rejection, legal action against fraudulent claims and political parties attempting to misuse reservation provisions, accountability of officials issuing false ST certificates.

The organisations asserted that any violation would be a direct blow to the political rights of Bodo and other tribal communities in the region. They urged the Election Commission of India and the State Election Commission, Assam, to ensure free and fair elections by preventing non-ST nominations in reserved constituencies.

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