Assam, Dec 15: United People’s Party Liberal (UPPL) president Pramod Boro was sworn in on Tuesday as the new chief of Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) while former NDFB leader Gobinda Basumatary took oath as the deputy chief of the BTC at a swearing-in ceremony in Kokrajhar.
The new council has been formed by the UPPL, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Kokrajhar MP Naba Sarania-led Gana Suraksha Party (GSP).
In the last 17 years, the 40-member BTC was ruled by former CEM Hagrama Mahilary-led Bodoland People’s Front (BPF). Besides Pramod Boro and Gobinda Basumatary, three other elected members took oath as executive members (EMs) of the new council.
The oath was administered by Assam chief secretary Jishnu Baruah in presence of chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal, Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Assam BJP president Ranjeet Kumar Dass, former Rajya Sabha member Biswajit Daimary, Kokrajhar MP Naba Kumar Sarania and others.
Pramod Boro took the oath in the Bodo language. While addressing a huge gathering, Pramod Boro said, “The BTR Accord was an accord of humanity.”
Speaking on the occasion, Boro, who led the All Boro Students’ Union (ABSU) for more than a decade, lauded the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
In the BTC polls, BPF won 17 seats and was short of 4 seats to form the council.
The magic number to form the council in BTC is 21. While the UPPL won 12 seats, the BJP won 9 seats and the GSP won 1 seat.
The lone Congress candidate, who won the BTC polls, joined the BJP. Now the UPPL-BJP-GSP coalition has a total of 23.
