As the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) fuels the rhetoric of protecting indigenous identities in the run-up Assembly election in Assam, an effort is underway to preserve the Bodo regional identity in the north-western part of the State, which is driving the electoral campaign in the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR).
Here, issues being raised include the need to protect the Bodo identity, increased autonomy for the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC), youth welfare, and lasting peace. The BJP finds itself in the middle of a delicate balancing act given the history of its alliances and conflicts with key regional powers – the Bodo People’s Front (BPF) and the United People’s Party Liberal (UPPL) – as recently as the 2025 BTC elections.
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On Tuesday (March 31), hundreds marked the birth anniversary of Bodofa Upendra Nath Brahma, known as the father of the Bodo movement, in Dotma, his birthplace. UPPL candidate for the Dotma constituency, Raju Jumar Narzary, paid his respects before addressing voters.
Even as Mr. Narzary spoke of “increased communal tension” after the BPF’s victory in the BTC elections months ago, and the need to fight for more administrative powers for the Council, about 500 metres away, at the BPF’s office, campaign workers spoke of their focus on bringing the region’s communities together and ensuring peace under the NDA’s banner.
Direct fight
Across the 15 Assembly constituencies in the BTR, the BPF, which has allied with the BJP in this election, is contesting on 11 seats, while the BJP is contesting four. The UPPL, which is going solo, is contesting on all 15 seats, with a direct contest expected with its regional rival BPF on 11, and contests with the BJP on the other four.
The Congress has put up candidates in 13 seats, one seat each is being contested by ally Raijor Dal (Manas) and the Trinamool Congress (Goreswar), with some seats even seeing the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha entering the race.
Just months ago, the BJP and the UPPL had parted ways ahead of the 2025 BTC election, which saw the BPF, in control of the council from 2005-2020, come back to power in the Sixth Schedule region. As a result, the chief of the BPF, Hangrama Mohilary, was elected as the new head of the BTC, dislodging Pramod Boro, leader of the UPPL. Mr. Boro had been elected as the BTC chief in 2020 after forming a post-poll alliance with the BJP. Following his loss in the BTC elections, Mr. Boro was earlier this year elected unopposed to one of Assam’s Rajya Sabha seats, even as he has now chosen to contest this Assembly election from the Tamulpur constituency.
In the Tamulpur constituency (reserved for STs), Mr. Boro will face not just the BJP’s candidate – Biswajit Daimary – this time, but also the Congress’s Rafel Daimary. Just before severing ties with the BJP, Mr. Boro had been driving for increased autonomy of the BTC region, holding meetings with Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi to pass the 125th Constitution Amendment enabling more autonomy.
In the BTR, the contest appears to be a head-to-head fight between the BPF and the UPPL, even as Bodo outfits like the All Bodo Students’ Union (ABSU), which kick-started the movement for an autonomous Bodo region, has made public calls for the two parties to unite.
Call for autonomy
However, the campaigns of both parties in the region are focused on fighting for increased autonomy both in the Assam Assembly and in Parliament, lasting peace, and the rivalry between the two for control over BTC politics. While the UPPL is blaming the BPF’s return to the BTC for issues such as communal violence that was seen in Karigaon in January this year and an alleged rise in gambling, and consumption of drugs and alcohol among the youth, the BPF’s campaign is focused on highlighting its support from the NDA, which, it argues, will help ensure peace and stability in the region.
Another significant issue that both campaigns are confronting is the Assam State Cabinet’s decision last November to add six communities to the State’s ST list, which had sparked widespread protests across the Bodoland region, led by the ABSU.
ABSU’s president-in-charge, Kwrwmdao Wary, said, “There is fear that the propositions being discussed for the addition of six new communities will alter the nature of the Bodoland region. In addition to the Bodo tribal communities, there are other communities living here peacefully also. And we want the welfare of all of these communities. But it has to be understood that this Bodoland region is a result of the Bodo people’s struggles, and the proposed ST calculations risk altering that.”
But even as Mr. Wary insisted that the ABSU cannot publicly speak about the ongoing election campaign, the outfit has traditionally been associated with the UPPL. The former president of ABSU, Dipen Boro, resigned from his position just ahead of the elections and is now contesting the Udalguri (ST) seat on a UPPL ticket and Pramod Boro himself was president of the ABSU before forming and taking charge of the UPPL in 2015.
Published – April 01, 2026 10:30 pm IST
