GUWAHATI, Dec 5 - Campaigning for the first phase of the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) elections to 21 seats on December 7 ended on Saturday evening, with the ruling BPF trying hard to retain its rule for the fourth consecutive term.
All major political parties in Assam participated in a high-decibel campaign to woo voters in the 40 constituencies of the council spread across Kokrajhar, Chirang, Baksa and Udalguri districts.
Ten constituencies in Udalguri and 11 in Baksa will go to polls in the first phase, in which 132 candidates are in the fray.
The second phase of polling in 19 seats will take place on December 10. Votes polled in both phases will be counted on December 12.
A total of 23,82,036 voters, including 11,79,020 women, will exercise their franchise in the two phases of the polls to the local council, which was formed in 2003 and elections are being held since 2005.
The election to the 40-member BTC was scheduled on April 4, but it was postponed due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Subsequently, Assam Governor Jagdish Mukhi assumed administration of the council on the expiry of its five-year term on April 27, 2020. � PTI
