India, Sept. 2 -- Battle lines have been drawn for the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) elections in Assam seen as a precursor to next year's assembly election in the northeastern state.

The polls are expected to see a keen contest between the ruling United Peoples Party Liberal (UPPL) and Bodoland Peoples Front (BPF), which was in power earlier.

Elections for the 40-member BTC, which controls administration in five districts, will take place on September 22. Nearly 2.6 million voters are eligible to vote for the BTC polls. The votes will be counted on September 26.

The UPPL and BPF have announced candidates for all 40 seats.

The UPPL is part of the ruling alliance led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the state level - the BJP...