The bid of the Bharatiya Janata Party to be the dominant political entity in the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR) may bring two rival regional parties together ahead of the elections to the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC), expected to be held in September.
The BTC governs the BTR comprising five districts across western and north-central Assam. The Bodos are the largest ethnic group in the BTR.
Leaders of the influential All Bodo Students’ Union (ABSU) and other Bodo organisations have urged the United People’s Party Liberal (UPPL) and the Bodoland People’s Front (BPF) to contest the upcoming polls together. The UPPL is the current ally of the BJP, and the BPF is a former ally.
The other organisations include the Bodo Sahitya Sabha and forums of former members of two disbanded extremist groups, Bodoland Liberation Tigers and National Democratic Front of Bodoland.
ABSU president Dipen Boro said the organisations have proposed unification to UPPL president Pramod Boro and his BPF counterpart Hagrama Mohilary. Pramod Boro is the head of the BTC, which the UPPL rules in alliance with the BJP.
