Campaigning drew to a close on Wednesday for the first phase of Assam’s panchayat elections, scheduled to be held tomorrow, on 2 May, across 14 districts, marking the state’s first local body polls after the recent delimitation of constituencies.
The districts going to the polls in this phase include Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, Charaideo, Sivasagar, Majuli, Jorhat, Golaghat, Dhemaji, Lakhimpur, Sonitpur, Biswanath, Cachar, Hailakandi, and Sribhumi.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma spearheaded the campaign for the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA), joined by Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Assam unit president Dilip Saikia.
The Congress, meanwhile, fielded a high-profile team comprising Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi, party MPs Pradyut Bordoloi and Rakibul Hussain, and state Congress president Bhupen Borah to garner support for its candidates.
The panchayat elections are being held in two phases—on 2 and 7 May—across 27 districts, excluding the seven under the Sixth Schedule, where autonomous council elections take place separately. This is the first such election following the redrawing of boundaries by the Election Commission.
Voting in both phases will be conducted from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Repolling, if necessary, will take place on 4 May for the first phase and on 9 May for the second. Counting of votes for both phases is scheduled to be held simultaneously on 11 May.
According to figures released by the Assam State Election Commission, the ruling NDA has already secured a significant lead. As many as 348 candidates—comprising Zila Parishad and Anchalik Parishad members—have been elected unopposed. Of these, 325 are from the NDA fold, including 35 BJP and two AGP members who have won Zila Parishad seats uncontested, and 259 BJP and 29 AGP candidates who have secured Anchalik Parishad positions unopposed.
In contrast, Independents have won 15 Anchalik Parishad seats uncontested, the Congress nine, and the AIUDF one.
The second phase of polling will cover Dhubri, South Salmara, Mankachar, Goalpara, Bongaigaon, Barpeta, Bajali, Nalbari, Kamrup, Kamrup (Metro), Hojai, Nagaon, Morigaon and Darrang.
The state’s electorate numbers 1,80,36,682, including 90,71,264 male voters, 89,65,010 female voters and 408 others. Polling will take place at 25,007 booths.
The total number of posts up for election include 21,920 Gram Panchayat (GP) members, of which 10,883 seats are reserved for women; 2,192 GP presidents, with 1,097 reserved for women; 2,192 GP vice-presidents, including 1,108 women; 2,192 Anchalik Parishad (AP) members, of which 1,124 are reserved for women; 181 AP presidents, including 98 women; 181 AP vice-presidents, including 96 women; and 397 Zila Parishad members, of which 199 are reserved for women.
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