December 13, 2020: Assam's Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) election results have been declared with Bodoland Peoples' Front (BPF) winning 17 seats. The United People's Party Liberal (UPPL) has trailed with 12 seats while Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has won nine seats and Congress one.

Since no party has crossed the halfway mark of winning 20 seats, BTC could witness a coalition rule for the first time.

BJP General Secretary Dilip Saikia said that BJP is in touch with UPPL to form the next BTC council.

BJP contested against its own ally party Bodoland People's Front (BPF) in this election.

The counting of vote commenced early Saturday and saw a neck-to-neck fight between BPF, UPPL and BJP.

The voting began on December 7 in Udalguri and Baksa districts of Bodoland Territoirial Region for phase 1 and concluded the final phase on December 10 in districts of Kokrajhar and Chirang.

BPF is an ally party of the BJP-led Assam government since 2016 and BPF has ruled Bodoland Territorial Area Districts (BTAD) which covered four districts - Kokrajhar, Chirang, Baksa and Udalguri in last one and half decades.

In 2015 BTC election, BPF won 20 council seats, while BJP won one, All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) bagged four and 15 by independent.

After signing the Bodo peace accord with the All Bodo Students' Union and some factions of the insurgent group National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB early this year and formation of Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR), it is the first election in BTAD.

Ahead of the assembly polls in Assam which is scheduled in 2021, the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) election has become like a 'semi-final' of 2021.

The Council, after its term ended on April 27, is currently being administered under the supervision of Governor Jagadish Mukhi.