Bodoland Territorial Council polls see 72.6% voter turnout

Guwahati: About 72.61% of voters cast their votes for the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) election till 4:30 pm, which was conducted in a single phase on Monday, despite state mourning being observed in the state considering the demise of Assam’s cultural icon Zubeen Garg.The election is for the 40-member BTC, with major political parties like BJP, UPPL, BPF, and Congress competing. The outcome will determine the future of 316 candidates. The vote counting is scheduled for Sept 26.By 4:30 pm, Kokrajhar district had a voter turnout of approximately 78.13%, Chirang district had about 76.69%, Baksa district had 66.87%, Tamulpur had 69.14%, and Udalguri district had 68.32%. Prominent leaders like the current BTC chief executive member Pramod Boro cast his vote in Goibari in Tamulpur district, and BPF president Hagrama Mohilary voted at Debargaon Higher Secondary School in Kokrajhar district.BJP is contesting the BTC elections independently, although it is allied with the Pramod Boro-led UPPL at the state level. The saffron party said neither UPPL nor BPF is untouchable for them. CM Himanta Biswa Sarma earlier said BJP is confident of forming the govt in BTC this time and will take support from Bodo political parties like UPPL and BPF if they offer it.Despite the election being overshadowed by the passing of Zubeen Garg, which led people to travel to Guwahati to pay their last respects to the singer, voters turned up in large numbers at 3,359 polling stations since morning. Approximately 26.58 lakh voters were registered to vote in this election, which is a significant test for all parties ahead of the 2026 assembly elections.