Rangia: Amid the forthcoming Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) election, United People’s Party Liberal (UPPL) Executive President Pramod Boro said that his party has started reaching out to all section of people in the Bodoland region.
The election was earlier to be conducted in April, was indefinitely postponed owing to coronavirus pandemic. However, with the unlock being announced, the political parties have left no stone unturned to reach out to the voters.
Speaking to Headline8 from the sleepy town of Rangia, around 55-kilometre from Guwahati, Boro said, “We are going to polls considering all the communities in the region and will bring them together.”
He expressed his concern over the alleged corruption in the BTC during the Hagrama Mohilary’s Bodoland People’s Front (BPF) regime and said, “Our primary task is to make BTR [Bodoland Territorial Region] corruption-free.”
In the 40-seat BTC legislation, UPPL is projecting to win the mandate in the least 24-26 seats. “We have filed nominations in all 40 seats. Unfortunately, one candidate from Salakati has expired,” said Pramod Boro who joined UPPL in February last after quitting the top leadership in All Bodo Students’ Union (ABSU).
Meanwhile, BJP has part ways with the BPF, an ally of Sarbananda Sonowal-led BJP government in Dispur and will contest the BTC polls single-handedly. Sources at the BJP told us that out of 25 seats filed by the national-party, BJP is sure to win at least 15 seats. Three prominent leaders including the state minister Himanta Biswa Sarma is given charge of these 15 seats, which BJP is sure to win in the Bodoland region.
In the poll, BJP, BPF and UPPL are the prominent parties which will take on each other. While BJP is playing safe, UPPL and BPF have started their outreach extensively. Experts from the region projected that most of the people are with the UPPL since the party talks cutting down the line of community, religion and class for the harmony of people.
“We need good governance in the region and thus every community should be taken together,” added Boro.
Bodoland region has around 70 per cent non-Bodos and UPPL is gaining the confidence of them to win the polls.
Boro, who is also known to be an influential person in the region was a signatory in the third Bodo Peace Accord, signed by tripartite parties including the Centre, state government and, ABSU and four factions of National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) in January this year. He is also known to be the man-to-go who bought the four factions of NDFB under the peace table.
A top source in the BJP told us that this BTC polls will be an assessment test for UPPL and if they can win the hearts of people, the national-party is likely to ally with them in the upcoming legislative election.
Rumours in the corridor of politics say that Sarma projected Boro into politics and likely that BJP will ally with the UPPL in the upcoming polls in Assam due in mid-2021.
Replying to the rumour, Pramod Boro, a 44-year-old former student leader, said, “To lead Assam, we need leaders like Himanta Biswa Sarma. He is the right man who would take the state to heights.” However, he didn’t reply to our question on the “likely alliance”.
“They have not approached us yet. Neither we have approached them. First is BTC and then we will think of that,” he smiled.
Watch the full interview:
