CM kicks off BJP's campaign for BTC polls, promises IIT & inclusive development

Udalguri, August 2: Kicking off the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) campaign in the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR), on Saturday, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced a tentative election timeline for the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) - polling by the third week of September and results before Durga Puja.

“Our target is clear—announce the BTC elections in the third week of August, conduct voting a month later, and declare results before Puja,” Sarma told party workers at a rally in the Mwdwibari constituency.

Visiting BTR the second time since early July, Sarma formally launched the BJP’s organisational drive in the region by forming 21-member booth-level committees in each constituency.

“These local committees will be the backbone of the party at the grassroots,” he said.

Framing the upcoming BTC polls as a referendum on inclusive development, the Chief Minister promised to replicate the BJP-led state government’s achievements in sectors such as agriculture, roads and social security.

“BTR is home to many languages and traditions. Our goal is a council where every resident feels like a first-class citizen,” he said.

Sarma cited ongoing initiatives like the Rs 33-crore government college in Kalaigaon and announced an ambitious new goal—an Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in the region during the next council term.

“Good governance will make BTR sprint towards progress,” he said.

Linking the poll timeline to welfare outreach, Sarma rolled out a calendar of upcoming schemes across Assam -

• Orunodoi 3.0 (launching Sept 17): Rs 1,250 monthly cash transfer plus ₹250 LPG subsidy for beneficiary families
• Nijut Moina (Aug 6): Financial aid for school-going girls
• Mahila Udhyamita Asoni (Aug 21)
• Ration cards to be upgraded to include pulses, salt, and sugar in addition to rice

Claiming the government has already created 1.5 lakh jobs, Sarma promised 50,000 more appointments by October, and vowed that “the poor youth of BTC will get a fair share” in the recruitment process.

Striking a conciliatory note, he appealed for political unity, identifying land encroachment as the region’s “real enemy”.

“We’re not asking you to abandon UPPL or BPF. We simply ask you to give BJP a chance. If BJP wins the maximum BTC seats, the scale of development will be unparalleled,” he said.

Sarma credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership for restoring peace to a region once plagued by ethnic unrest and violence.

“Since I took oath in 2021, there have been no bomb blasts or gunfire in BTR. The next five years must convert this peace into lasting prosperity,” he concluded.