KOKRAJHAR, Dec 24 - The Pramod Boro-led UPPL-BJP-GSP alliance government on Thursday proved its majority in a composite floor test in the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) Assembly.
The United People�s Party Liberal (UPPL), BJP and the Gana Suraksha Party (GSP) combine secured 22 votes in the 40-member BTC, while the Bodoland People�s Front (BPF) bagged 16 votes.
Pro tem speaker Katiram Bodo did not cast his vote, while UPPL chief Pramod Boro earlier resigned from the Koklabari seat as he had won from two constituencies.
Besides 10 members from the UPPL, 11 from the BJP and one from the GSP supported Pramod Boro in a hand-raising process conducted in the House.
Before the floor test, BPF supremo and former BTC chief Hagrama Mohilary raised questions on the procedure being followed by the BTC Assembly and objected that it was not in line with the rules and agenda. The BPF members held up banners and chanted slogans, calling it �death of democracy�.
The objections were refuted by Pro tem speaker Katiram Boro, but as the slogan shouting by the BPF members continued for some time, the Pro tem speaker adjourned the House for 10 minutes. Mohilary later again challenged Pramod Boro�s majority, and said that the proper procedure was not followed, and threatened to challenge it in court.
Later, talking to media persons just after winning the floor test, Pramod Boro said the BJP-UPPL-GSP alliance government will dedicate itself to the uplift of people of the region and was very much committed to work for peace, unity and all-round development of the area.
Bodo said that no undemocratic process will ever take place in the BTC under the new administration and it would treat people from all constituencies equally. He also appealed to all the elected members to join hands with him to ensure that developmental work reaches every nook and corner of the BTR.
At the same time, Boro also condemned the disturbance created by the BPF members inside the House during the floor test, and termed it as �pre-planned�.
Soon after the floor test, BJP MLA Ashok Singhal, Tezpur MP Pallab Lochan Das, Kokrajhar MP and GSP chief Naba Kumar Sarania, former MP Biswajit Daimary, UG Brahma, State Minister Pijush Hazarika, BJP MLA Jayanta Malla Baruah and others congratulated Pramod Boro and urged all the BTC members to work for the uplift of the people.
It may be mentioned here that the BPF had emerged as the single largest party in the recent concluded BTC polls. Out of the total 40 seats in the BTC, the BPF won 17 seats, but one of its winning candidates later joined the BJP, bringing the number down to 16. On the other hand, the UPPL bagged 12 seats, BJP got 9 and GSP managed to win one seat. Later the UPPL joined hands with the BJP and the GSP to form with government with Pramod Boro as the chief of the BTC.
Meanwhile, the Gauhati High Court ordered a floor test to elect the new Chief Executive Member (CEM) of the BTC. The order came after the BPF moved the High Court complaining of violation of several constitutional provisions while appointing the new CEM and other members of the BTC.
