Silchar, Oct 6 (PTI) The ruling BJP-led NDA in Assam won the first elections to the Silchar Municipal Corporation on Tuesday, securing 34 of the 42 seats, officials said.
The BJP won 32 seats, and its ally Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) secured two, while the Congress bagged two and Independents secured six, they said.
Polling was held on October 3 in 40 wards, with BJP candidates Bijendra Prasad Singh and Bhakti Sen Talukdar getting elected unopposed from wards 9 and 20, respectively.
The BJP has sought recounting in two wards — 29, won by an Independent candidate, and 30, where the Congress emerged victorious. A decision on the demand is yet to be taken, officials said.
Counting began at 8 am, with ballot papers used for the elections.
A total of 133 candidates were in the fray. The BJP contested 38 wards, the AGP four and the Congress 38, while 52 Independents and one CPI(M) candidate also fought the elections.
The Silchar Municipal Board was upgraded to a 42-ward municipal corporation in 2022 and became operational in June 2025. The principal city of the Barak Valley had remained without an elected civic body for six years.
Poor road conditions, inadequate drainage, waterlogging, erratic power supply and irregular drinking water supply were among the key issues during the campaign.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the verdict reflected people’s faith in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership and his vision of urban governance under Viksit Bharat.
“Another day, another win for @BJP4Assam! The people of Silchar have given us a thumping majority in the Silchar Municipal Corporation elections, held through BALLOT PAPER,” Sarma said in a social media post.
He thanked the people of Silchar for the “resounding mandate” and reiterated his government’s commitment to making the city “one of Assam’s foremost cities”.
Assam BJP president Dilip Saikia said the results demonstrated that the Congress had failed to win public support even in an election conducted through ballot papers.
“The Congress always complains about EVM tampering, but this election was held through ballot papers, and they are nowhere,” he told reporters.
Saikia described the results as a major victory for Modi and Sarma’s development agenda and said they reflected people’s trust in the two leaders.
Celebrations were held at the state BJP headquarters in Guwahati, with Saikia and Sarma joining it. PTI DG SOM
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