The ruling BJP-AGP alliance in Assam is leading in over 70 per cent of the panchayat seats according to trends available till late Sunday evening, with state BJP president Dilip Saikia confident of “decisive” mandate due to the “extraordinary and unprecedented” support for the party's “transformative governance” agenda.
Counting of votes polled in the three-tier panchayat polls held on May 2 and 7 started at 39 centres amid tight security on Sunday morning but results of the anchalik panchayat (APs) were only available till 8pm, showing the BJP winning 33 seats and the AGP three while the principal Opposition Congress bagged a solitary seat.
“Overall, the BJP-AGP alliance is leading in over 70 per cent of the seats. The counting of ballots takes time. The scene will be clear by Monday evening,” said a source in the State Election Commission, Assam, which conducts the panchayat polls.
The Opposition Congress is hurtling towards one of its worst electoral debacles in the state.
There are 21,920 gram panchayat (GP), 2192 anchalik panchayat and 397 zila parishad seats with 50 per cent of the seats reserved for women. The BJP is reportedly leading in over 360 AP seats, AGP in 45, and the Congress in only 22. The BJP is also ahead in 40 zila parishad seats.
Altogether 2,567 GP ward members, 34 zila parishad members and 311 AP members have won unopposed with most of these seats going to the BJP.
Four persons were detained in Silchar following a clash at a counting centre between supporters of two independent candidates after one of them took the lead, leaving a constable injured.
The poll had seen a turnout of 74.71 per cent out of a voter count of 1,80,36,682 across 27 districts.