UPPL and BJP, former allies in Assam's Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC), are contesting against each other in 30 of 40 seats, each promising lasting peace and development ahead of the September 22, 2025 elections.
The BJP highlighted increased financial support to the region and a vision of security and prosperity, while the UPPL outlined a five-fold strategy focusing on women, land, community, education, and peace.
The UPPL currently leads the BTC with BJP and GSP support, holding 31 seats; opposition parties BPF and Congress are contesting all 40 seats each, and the GSP is contesting 11.
Once allies, the United People’s Party Liberal (UPPL) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are now rivals in 30 of the 40 constituencies of Assam’s Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR), and both have pledged lasting peace and inclusive development in their respective manifestos for the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) elections scheduled for September 22.
According to PTI, the BTR, covering 8,970 square kilometres and bordering Bhutan, comprises five districts with a population of 3.5 million. It is administered by the BTC, an autonomous elected body. Both parties released their vision documents within 72 hours of each other.
The BJP released its manifesto on September 12 in the presence of Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and state BJP president Dilip Saikia. The party committed to eight key goals aimed at fulfilling the aspirations of BTR’s residents. Sarma noted a dramatic rise in financial allocation to the region—from ₹100 crore in 2016 to ₹1,500 crore in 2025—as evidence of the central and state governments’ commitment to the region. He said the BTR had entered a phase of peace, prosperity, and rapid progress and reaffirmed the BJP’s resolve to build a more secure and developed region.
On September 14, UPPL president and BTC chief Pramod Boro released his party’s vision document, outlining a five-pronged development strategy focused on women, land, community, education, and peace. He said c’s strength lay in the well-being of its women and that the UPPL was committed to providing equal opportunities in education, livelihoods, leadership, and social security.
According to the Hindu, boro said the UPPL, upon taking charge in 2020, inherited a region marked by widespread corruption, authoritarian governance, recurring violence, and stagnation under the Bodoland People’s Front (BPF), which ruled for 17 years. He said the current administration has since prioritised peace, equal rights, transparent governance, and the implementation of the 2020 Bodo Peace Accord.
The UPPL manifesto includes promises of land rights for all bona fide citizens, housing support for all families, completion of all-weather road connectivity to over 3,100 villages by 2029, and protection of the linguistic and cultural identity of all 26 communities in the region. It also pledges stipends for students, coaching support for competitive examinations, and the establishment of the Bodoland International School of Peace and Happiness at Tamulpur by 2027. Boro described the document as a roadmap for rebuilding Bodoland while balancing development with environmental conservation.
