Union home minister Amit Shah on Sunday congratulated the BJP Assam unit and United People’s Party Liberal (UPPL) for together securing a majority of the seats in the recently held Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) polls in Assam.

The ruling Bodoland Peoples’ Front (BPF) won 17 seats in the BTC elections followed by UPPL with 12 seats, BJP with nine and Congress and the Gana Suraksha Party (GSP) with one seat each.

Shah termed UPPL as an ally although the BJP and UPPL have not formed any formal alliance so far.

Also read: BTC poll 2020 results: BJP likely to back UPPL to form council

“NDA has secured a comfortable majority in the Bodoland Territorial Council polls. Congratulations to our ally UPPL, CM Sarbananda Sonowal, state minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and the party’s Assam unit,” a report quoted Shah as saying.

“I thank the people of Assam for their continued faith in the PM’s resolve towards developing the North East,” he said.

Although the BPF and BJP are alliance partners in the state government, they contested the elections to the 40-member council separately.

The BJP has, however, confirmed an alliance with the UPPL after the results were out.

UPPL chief Promod Boro, Himanta Biswa Sarma, BJP Assam BJP unit president Ranjit Kumar Dass and BJP national general secretary and Mangaldoi MP, Dilip Saikia had met on Saturday in Guwahati to deliberate on the formation of the new Bodo council.

They are likely to take the final decision after consultation with Assam chief minister, Sarbananda Sonowal.