Assam: BJP loses Tribal Council elections, eyes on 2026 legislative elections
The Bodoland People's Front won 28 out of 40 seats, strengthening its presence compared to 2020 and thus returning to the leadership of the Bodo Territorial Council. The BJP, which has enjoyed a series of successes in the north-eastern state since 2016, won only five seats. The defeat calls into question the party's hegemony a few months ahead of the 2026 legislative elections.
Dispur (AsiaNews) - In the Bodo Territorial Council (BTC) elections held on 22 September, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the ultra-nationalist party of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was defeated by the Bodoland People's Front (BPF), led by Hagrama Mohilary.
Out of 40 seats, the BPF won 28, while the BJP won only five. The Congress, the main opposition party at the national level, did not win any seats.
The BPF thus strengthened its position, adding 11 seats to the 17 it won in 2020. The BJP, which ran independently for the first time in the same election, won nine seats, while the United People's Party Liberal (UPPL), its former ally, won seven seats, down from 12 previously.
Since 2016, Assam has become the heart of the BJP's growth in north-eastern India, the party's stronghold, where it has achieved success at both parliamentary and local levels. The BTC's defeat in the elections (considered a “semi-final” ahead of the Legislative Assembly vote scheduled for March-April 2026) now calls into question the BJP's image of invincibility, despite the aggressive campaign of Assam's chief minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma.
The BTC, established in 2003 under the sixth schedule of the Indian Constitution (which recognises special powers of self-government for tribes in the north-eastern hill regions), governs the Bodo Territorial Region located in western Assam and comprising the districts of Kokrajhar, Chirang, Baksa, Udalguri and Tamulpur. More than three million people live here, mainly belonging to the Bodo ethnic community.
The body exercises legislative, executive and financial powers over 40 sectors, including education, culture and land management.
This triumph also marks the political comeback of Hagrama Mohilary, a historic figure in local politics. Born into a tribal family, he came of age during the Bodo Autonomy Movement of 1987, a period marked by violent clashes over control of the territory and recognition of identity.
A former leader of the Bodoland Liberation Tigers, he abandoned the armed struggle after an agreement signed in 2003 that led to the creation of the Bodo Territorial Council. Two years later, he founded the BPF together with Emmanuel Mosahary, becoming the first executive member of the Council.
Mohilary led the BTC for three consecutive terms until 2020, when defections to the BJP and UPPL marked its downfall. Bolstered by victories such as 31 seats in 2010 and 12 out of 13 seats in the 2016 legislative elections, the tribal leader managed to reorganise and, in 2025, capitalise on discontent with the BJP, bringing his party back to power with a fourth term as chief executive.
After the results, Chief Minister Sarma, a BJP member, congratulated Mohilary but attributed his party's poor performance to the sudden death of singer Zubeen Garg, an event that shook the state and interrupted the election campaign in the final days. "The last 72 hours are crucial in any election. We were unable to campaign due to the sad passing of Zubeen Garg," he said.
Mohilary's victory thus redraws the balance of power in Assam, bringing the BPF back into play as a decisive force in indigenous territories. With the 2026 legislative elections just around the corner, the return of the former rebel opens up a political challenge that could crack the BJP's hegemony in the state.
.png)
