From bullets to ballots: Can former-militant-turn-politicians in Assam push Bodoland's violent past behind?

Although UPPL won 12 seats, 9 short of the magic mark of 21, is set to form the new council after BJP

From playing with bullets to winning the battle of ballots, B. Saoraigwra's life took a complete turn on Saturday evening, when results of Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) elections in Assam were declared. "I know how to use the bullets. But now i have learnt how to work out strategies and win elections too," the visibly elated former leader of now disbanded National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB-S), a militant group told reporters, minutes after he was declared winner as a new member of BTC.

Like him, eight former members of NDFB fought the BTC elections conducted on December 7 and 10 and five of them won their first battle of ballots on Saturday. BTC is an autonomous council under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, that governs four districts in Assam, Kokrajhar, Chirang, Baksa and Udalguri.

Saoraigwra, Dhiren Boro, Gobindo Basumatary and Ranjan Daimary, who led all four factions of NDFB, signed the new Bodoland Accord with the government in New Delhi in January this and subsequently laid down their weapons in Guwahati along with 1,615 other cadres. NDFB, which started its armed movement in 1986 for "a sovereign Bodoland," was disbanded in March. Over 4,000 people died since 1986 and abduction and displacements was frequent in the Bodoland region till the signing of the new accord.

Daimary is still in jail but eight others took the political plunge. Five contested from United People's Party Liberal (UPPL) and the three got tickets of Bodoland People's Front (BPF), led by former insurgent leader, Hagrama Mohilary, which was in power of BTC since its formation in 2003. Gobindo Basumatary, B. R. Ferenga and Sanjoy Swargiary were elected to the new BTC as UPPL candidates while Saoraigwra and Fresh Basumatary won from BPF. Dhiren Boro lost as BPF candidate while two others, who joined UPPL also could not pass the political test.

Although UPPL led by former All Bodo Students' Union president, Promod Boro won 12 seats, 9 short of the magic mark of 21, however, is set to form the new council after BJP, which emerged as the "king-maker" by winning nine seats extended its support.

Not new in Assam

Former militants taking to politics is, in fact, not new in Assam, particularly in Bodoland, a region that witnessed largescale violence since 1980s. In 2003, Mohilary, who led Bodo Liberation Tigers, another disbanded militant group similarly signed an accord, laid down arms and joined politics. But that time, NDFB, comprising a large chunk of militants were still out of the process of democracy and were carrying on with their "armed movement" from their hideouts in Myanmar, Bhutan, Bangladesh or elsewhere. This is for the first time, all major militant groups joined the peace process and the elections. More than 644 cadres belonging to eight other militant groups, which were also active in Bodoland area, also laid down arms days before the new Bodo Accord was signed. Most of them came into being in order to counter the violence by NDFB and BLT.

Pushing the violent past behind

So can the former militants-turned politicians put the violent past behind? "We hope to work with the ruling party and ensure that the Bodoland region remains arms free and we can create jobs for our youths. There are two major issues for us: one is a withdrawal of cases pending against the NDFB members and another is jobs. We must nurture work culture in order to prevent re-birth of militancy. Our farmers must be provided with irrigation facilities. We must set up skill development centres and new industries to create jobs," Saoraigwra told TV channels.

Gobindo Basumatary, a former senior leader of NDFB (Progressive), however, was sceptical about his political journey. "Politics is a dirty field. I don't consider myself to be fit for politics. But i am happy to see people electing me to BTC and putting their faith on me. I have been working for the people for long and will try my best to serve the people more from now."

Promod Boro, who had waved the flag of Gandhian policy of non-violence to ensure rights of the people even when militancy was at its peak in Bodoland region is set to take over as chief of BTC. Boro, who led the long agitation for a separate Bodoland state till last year, however, exuded confidence that the new council would be able to ensure lasting peace, development and good governance while taking all sections and communities on board. "Let there be no bitter feelings over past violence and conflicts. We all must try to forget, forgive and march together to the path of peace and development. We hope to achieve our goal by implementing the new comprehensive Bodoland Accord, which we signed on January 27 this year," he said, soon after Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal announced that BJP would support UPPL to form the new council led by Boro.

So is it a good sign for democracy? "I don't think so," former professor of political science in Gauhati University, Monirul Hussain said, when asked by DH. "The impact of violence remains for long, even if some claims to abjure the path of violence. We don't expect much given the degrading standard of politics," he said.

Thulunga Basumatary, a Bodo youth, who was one of the mediators of peace talks with NDFB-S, however, said it was time to make peace. "After long struggles, NDFB leaders have joined the democratic system after laying down arms. Let there be a new dawn of peace and prosperity in Bodoland," he said.