Bodoland Territorial Council polls to test BJP ahead of 2026 assembly polls

Guwahati: The upcoming elections to the 40-member Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) will be a litmus test of the BJP's popularity ahead of the 2026 Assam assembly polls. Traditionally dominated by regional parties, the council will this time see the BJP contesting on its own.

The Assam State Election Commission has scheduled polling for September 22 and counting for September 26. Nearly 26.6 lakh voters will cast their ballots across 3,359 stations, with the Model Code of Conduct already in force.

Currently, the council is led by the United Peoples' Party-Liberal (UPPL) with the BJP as partner, while the Bodoland People's Front (BPF) sits in opposition but supports the NDA government in Assam. Chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has campaigned extensively, expressing confidence of a BJP victory.

In the 2020 polls, the BJP won nine of the 24 seats it contested, while the BPF emerged as the largest party with 17 seats but was kept out of power as the BJP, UPPL and Gana Suraksha Party (GSP) formed the council government. The UPPL won 12 seats, and defections later further strengthened the BJP.