Assam: Pramod Boro-led UPPL-BJP-GSP alliance wins BTC trust vote

GUWAHATI

The Pramod Boro-led UPPL-BJP-GSP combine proved its majority in the “composite floor test” on December 24 after 22 MCLAs (members of Bodoland Territorial Council Legislative Assembly) voted in favour of the three-party alliance amid drama and protests by the elected Bodoland People’s Front (BPF) members.

The 22 MCLAs raised their hands in favour of the alliance after the BTC Assembly Speaker conducted the session for the floor test, even as the BPF elected members held “Save Democracy” placards before the Speaker.

Dramatic scenes were witnessed ahead of and during the floor test with the BPF elected representatives exchanging heated exchanges with the alliance party members and also “removing” the microphone from the oath-taking dais in “violation” of the BTC Assembly decorum.

The proceedings had to be stalled for a few minutes before the floor test could take place.

The Gauhati High Court had on December 22 ordered a ‘composite floor test’ in Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) by December 26.

The High Court’s directive came after Bodoland People’s Front (BPF) president and former BTC chief, Hagrama Mohilary filed a writ petition challenging the constitutional validity of the appointment of CEM and other members along with six nominated members in the council.

BTC chief executive member Pramod Boro, who was sworn in on December 15 last, had on Wednesday exuded confidence of winning the trust vote.

“It is a shame that elected representatives for the past 15 years have shown such unruly behaviour to disrupt and stall proceedings in the Assembly. The honourable High Court had directed the floor test, but the process was disrupted by the BPF elected members,” Boro said after winning the trust vote.

The CEM promised clean administration and good governance in the coming days and that a meeting would be held after Christmas to discuss and find out ways to start the corrective measures across departments.

“All the 40 BTC constituencies will be given equal attention and the underprivileged people will be accorded top priority. We hope that through good governance and clean administration we can weed out corruption and violence from BTC area,” Boro said.

Condemning the behaviour of the BPF elected members, former Rajya Sabha MP and BJP leader Biswajit Daimary said the disturbance was pre-planned as they had come with placards.

“The floor test has been completed under the directive of the honourable High Court. So the process has been conducted as per the rules,” Daimary said.

Earlier, the elected members of the alliance were taken to Kokrajhar from a five-star hotel here on Thursday morning. The members were brought to the hotel after a “holiday break” in Meghalaya on Wednesday evening.

(Edited by Christopher Gatphoh)