Just a few hours after the Assam State Election Commission declared the date of elections to the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC), Chirang in the Bodoland Territorial Area Districts (BTAD) witnessed electoral violence.

A portion of the United People’s Party Liberal’s (UPPL) poll campaign office at Birhangaon village, under Dhaligaon police station in Chirang district, was set ablaze on Wednesday night.

UPPL vice-president Rwngwra Narzary, who is also a sitting BTC member from No. 15 Kajalgaon seat of the council (under which Birhangaon village falls), informed the police about the incident.

Narzary suspected the hand of arch-rival and ruling Bodoland People’s Front (BPF) was behind the incident.

“As the UPPL is likely to do better in the BTC polls, the BPF has become frustrated and indulged in violence,” he alleged.

BTC deputy chief Kampa Borgoyary, who is also the BPF spokesperson, has refuted the allegations levelled by the Opposition UPPL and said his party never committed such public offence for political interest.

The superintendent of police, Chirang district, Sudhakar Singh, said: “Our team had visited the spot and collected primary information, but no report has been received yet from the UPPL party. If we get a report we will register a case and initiate an investigation to nab the goons.”

Deputy commissioner, Chirang, Gautam Talukdar, when contacted by this correspondent, said: “I have no knowledge about this incident.”

UPPL leaders also brought corruption charges against some BPF workers, who had allegedly misappropriated funds meant for government schemes in Birhangaon village, last year. Since then, both the parties have been at loggerheads, local residents said.

Of the 40 seats of the council, Chirang district includes seven — Chirang, Chirang Duars, Kajalgaon, Nichima, Sobaijhar, Manash Serfang and Thuribari. All the seats are reserved for Scheduled Tribe candidates, barring Thuribari.

The BPF could win only one of the seven seats of the council in the district in the last BTC polls. So this time, BPF leaders are gearing up to win the hearts of the people in the district.

The UPPL’s Kajalgaon block unit secretary, Moneswar Khaklary, said party workers were at the office till 11.30pm on Wednesday. The incident occurred after midnight.

Saoraigwra joins BPF: B. Saoraigwra, the leader of the disbanded National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB), formally joined the ruling Bodoland People’s Front (BPF) at Kachikutra in Chirang district on Thursday.

Talking to mediapersons after his joining he said, “If I get the privilege, I will do whatever is good for the public.” He added that he will “try to live up to the hopes and aspirations of the people of the Bodo belt.”

On fellow NDFB leader B.R Ferrenga joining UPPL, he said in democracy everyone has the right to have choices.

Additional reporting by Shajid Khan in Udalguri and Rinoy Basumatary in Kokrajhar