BTC polls: BJP loses ground under Himanta, Congress alleges voter rejection

The Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) elections have signalled a shift in voter preference, with the ruling BJP and its ally United People's Party Liberal (UPPL) losing ground compared to the 2020 polls.

Assam Congress president Gaurav Gogoi on Sunday, 28 September, described the results as a clear rejection of the BJP government, asserting that the party performed much better under former chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal than under the current leadership of Himanta Biswa Sarma.

The Bodoland People's Front (BPF) achieved a landslide victory, winning 28 of the 40 seats. In contrast, the UPPL and BJP, which had jointly administered BTC over the past five years but contested separately this time, managed only seven and five seats, respectively. The Congress, which had secured one seat in 2020, failed to win any this time.

Gogoi highlighted the BJP’s diminished performance:

• UPPL: 12 seats in 2020 → 7 seats in 2025

• BJP: 9 seats in 2020 → 5 seats in 2025

“I am grateful to all Congress workers, leaders, and supporters who worked tirelessly during the elections. The result reflects a rejection of the BJP government, which has been in power at the state and Centre for the past decade,” Gogoi said in a post on X.

He added, “Under chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, the BJP’s tally has declined compared to 2020, when Sarbananda Sonowal led the party to a stronger showing. Even our ally, the UPPL, has been significantly weakened. This was largely due to the interference and influence of chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.”

On his party’s own disappointing performance, Gogoi acknowledged the challenges ahead. “The road to revival is always a slow and grinding path. Over the past one-and-a-half months, the Congress focused on building a grassroots organisation. Our MLAs conducted meetings at the mandal level, and candidates campaigned tirelessly. We will continue to work hard in the BTR districts.”

Gogoi also congratulated BPF chief Hagrama Mohilary for steering the party to a decisive victory.

Sarma, commenting on the results, said the BJP might have performed better if not for the “unfortunate death of Zubeen Garg” just days before polling. “We refrained from any election-related outreach during the last three days before the polls to prioritise the mourning period,” he said.

Sarma added that the BJP lost by narrow margins in some constituencies and could have won 10–11 seats under normal circumstances. In a sharp rebuttal to Gogoi’s remarks, the CM alleged that the Congress was rejected by the people, claiming its leader was “a Pakistani agent.”

With PTI inputs