Assam: Campaigning for first phase of Bodoland Territorial Council elections ends

GUWAHATI:

Campaigning for the first phase of Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) elections to 21 seats on December 7 ended on Saturday evening, with the ruling Bodoland People’s Front (BPF) trying hard to retain its rule for the fourth consecutive term.

Ten constituencies in Udalguri and 11 in Baksa will go to polls in the first phase of the elections, in which 132 candidates are in the fray.

The second phase of polling in 19 seats will take place on December 10. Votes polled in both phases will be counted on December 12.

A total of 23,82,036 voters, including 11,79,020 women, will exercise their franchise in the two phases of the polls to the local council, which was formed in 2003 and elections have been held since 2005.

The election to the 40-member BTC was scheduled on April 4, but it was postponed indefinitely because of the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Assam Governor Jagdish Mukhi assumed administration of the council on the expiry of its five-year term on April 27, 2020. (PTI)