ABSU seeks electoral rolls in Bodo for BTC polls, calls for wider official use

Kokrajhar, July 13: In the run-up to the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) elections scheduled to be held in September this year, the All Bodo Students’ Union (ABSU) on Sunday demanded that electoral roll for the upcoming elections be published in Bodo language alongside Assamese.

The ABSU made this demand through a press release on Sunday.

“The All Bodo Students Union demands the publication of the electoral roll for the ensuing BTC Election 2025 in Bodo language along with Assamese,” the press release read.

Along with this, the ABSU also urged the government to take concrete steps to adopt Bodo language for all official purposes in areas with a substantial Bodo population.

“The Union also urges the use of Bodo language for all official purposes, as mentioned in the Assam Official Language (Amendment) Act, 2020 under Section 5A, in the districts and subdivisions of Assam having a substantial Bodo population instead of limiting it to BTR Sixth Schedule areas only - along with Assamese,” the statement further read.

The ABSU also sought the inclusion of a Bodo language paper in competitive exams, such as judicial services and recruitment examinations for district courts in Assam.

“We demand the inclusion of a Bodo Language Paper (50 Marks) in the Assam Judicial Service Grade-III Mains Exam and a Bodo language Paper (20 Marks) in the Jr. Administrative Assistant recruitment examination for the district courts of Assam conducted by Gauhati High Court, as published in the recent advertisement,” the press release added.

The BTC elections are set to be held in September this year and all major political parties in Assam are gearing up for the same.

The BJP is set to contest the BTC polls alone, while there is a possibility of an alliance between the United People’s Party – Liberal (UPPL) and the AGP, although nothing has been finalised yet.

“There is an umbrella called the NDA, which includes AGP, BJP, and the UPPL. If there is understanding, we can think of an alliance,” BTC CEM Pramod Boro had said, adding that the coming days should focus on the “peace, security, development, and prosperity” of the BTR.

Former BTC CEM and Bodoland People’s Front (BPF) leader Hagrama Mohilary had confirmed that the BPF will go solo in the elections but is exploring alliances with smaller parties.

“We are in talks with a few of our allies, such as the Gana Suraksha Party (GSP), but no conclusion has been reached yet,” Mohilary had said.