BTC Elections Ground Report: For Baksa’s Villages ‘Identity’ is The Core Concern

With the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) poll nearing, the political mercury is rising in Assam's Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR). With 40 seats in the poll, the battle is turning into a one-on-one contest between the Bodoland People's Front (BPF) and the United People's Party Liberal (UPPL) with the BJP emerging as the possible kingmaker.

The temperature is especially hot in Baksa, which is one of the BTR's most politically charged and ethnically mixed constituencies. Seats like Baganpara, Mushalpur, Koklabari, Salbari, Dihira, and Mathanguri mirror the complex quilt of Bodo-majority pockets and minority-majority enclaves. In a sense, Baksa is a miniature version of Bodoland's broader electoral struggle.

Passing through these villages, one feels the amalgam of anticipation, disillusionment, and fatigue. Farmers, elders, and grassroots leaders talk openly, laying bare the heartbeat of a region still grappling with questions of identity, development, and representation.

Regional Affiliation Over National Parties

In Bodoland, identity politics looms large over ideological rifts. For the vast majority of voters, loyalty is more about belonging than party manifestos.

"Of course, our folk will understand our problems. Not BJP or any other third party," opined a Koklabari farmer. "Even if I served for years as BJP VCDC member, I never let anyone's identity merge with mine. Within the booth, my vote goes to my own local party."

This feeling is uniform in villages. While the BJP has established visibility via welfare programs and entry into coalitions, the emotional confidence sticks solidly with Bodo-led groups.

The name Hagrama Mohilary still stirs emotions in Baksa. The former BTC chief and BPF supremo, once unchallenged in Bodo politics, fell dramatically in 2020 after two decades in power. Critics blamed arrogance and corruption within his inner circle. Yet on the ground, villagers remember him with a kind of grudging respect.

"Hagrama did an enormous amount of work. His fall was brought about by his own constituency leaders, not by us," noted an elderly social activist. "He should return. Only he can protect our future."

BJP: Kingmaker or Outsider?

On initial inspection, the BJP seems to be walking a tightrope. Lacking firm roots in Bodo society, the party is relying heavily on welfare measures like Orunodoi to woo voters. However, in the villages of Baksa, responses are divided.

"Even if we are receiving Orunodoi, in the same household everyone desires another scheme," said  an old farmer from Koklabari. "We are farmers. Regardless of who rules, we have to toil ourselves for our bread and butter. Government assistance is appreciated, but one should not be that laalchi (greedy)."

For the BJP, the post-poll math is paramount. It might not own Bodoland's heart, but its seats would decide who takes the council. On the ground, however, most still see the saffron party as an outsider with clout, who doesn't belong.

Minorities in the Mix

Whereas the Bodo-majority pockets dominate the electoral landscape, seats such as Salbari and Mathanguri, with high minority concentration, may be the game-changers. Here, the debate shifts from identity to survival in the present.

At a tiny tea shop in Salbari, petty trader Ali expressed his frustration:"Whichever party arrives, we never see actual development. For minorities like us, the struggle is for hospitals, schools, and roads. Leaders discuss Bodo identity day and night, but what about our existence?"

These sentiments highlight the thin rope that candidates have to balance — ensuring to appeal to both Bodo emotion and minority aspirations.

Congress: A Distant Dream

If there is one overwhelming consensus in Baksa, it is the criticism of the Congress party. Once reigning supreme in Assam, the party now finds itself struggling to even make an appearance in Bodoland's political consciousness.

"Even Assamese people don't like Congress anymore," laughed a group of people. "For them to win even a single seat here is a distant dream.

This has opened the ground to the three important players: UPPL, BPF, and BJP.

Village Institutions: The VCDC Factor

In the Sixth Schedule, Village Council Development Committees (VCDC) continue to be the strength of local governance. The VCDC is not an abstractions to villagers but the immediate interface between government and the grassroots.

"A number of things go through the VCDC. In a Sixth Schedule area like Bodoland, no one can do that," said a school teacher from Koklabari. "That's why we require leaders who are familiar with our system, not strangers."

This is one reason why regional parties still have an advantage, even with the BJP's money-musked thrust.

With voting only days away, Baksa is still on the fence, echoing the wider indecision in Bodoland. While UPPL attempts to hold onto power, BPF looks towards a resurgence with Hagrama's shadow. The BJP holds its cards close, waiting for the seat count to determine alliances.

For common villagers, however, elections evoke a combination of hope and fatigue. As a Koklabari elder put it:

"We have had governments come and go. Schemes come and go. But ultimately, we are farmers, we live by our labor. Leaders should keep that in mind."

The Exclusive Bottom Line

From the fields of Baksa to its bazaars, one thing is clear: the 2025 BTC elections are not all about constituencies and alliances. They are about a people's ongoing search for identity, representation, and honor in a country that has struggled to be recognized for decades.

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