The Assam State Election Commission has deployed over 1.20 lakh polling personnel, with security forces stationed at every booth to ensure peaceful and fair polling.
Nearly 60 per cent women candidates fighting panchayat polls in Assam (photo:IANS)
Voting is underway in the first phase of Assam’s Panchayat elections, with voters turning up in large numbers across 14 districts early Friday morning.
Long queues outside polling stations signal strong grassroots participation in what is often considered the bedrock of India’s democratic structure—the Panchayati Raj system.
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The first phase covers 19 districts, including Sonitpur, Biswanath, Dhemaji, Lakhimpur, Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, Sivasagar, Charaideo, Jorhat, Majuli, Golaghat, Cachar, Hailakandi, and Sribhumi.
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The Assam State Election Commission has deployed over 1.20 lakh polling personnel, with security forces stationed at every booth to ensure peaceful and fair polling.
By 11:40 AM, officials reported a voter turnout of 8.47 per cent within the first two hours. Election authorities expect participation to rise steadily as the day progresses.
The BJP-led NDA’s high-octane campaign blitz came to a close on Wednesday. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma led the charge alongside Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and state BJP president Dilip Saikia.
The ruling coalition focused its messaging on rural development, infrastructure improvement, and the implementation of flagship central schemes such as the PM Awas Yojana and Jal Jeevan Mission.
With more than 50,000 seats up for grabs across Gram Panchayats, Anchalik Panchayats, and Zila Parishads, the polls are expected to witness intense electoral contests and high voter turnout.
The NDA has already secured an uncontested victory in 37 Zila Parishad and 288 Anchalik Panchayat seats—an outcome Chief Minister Sarma hailed as “an unprecedented achievement in Assam’s political landscape.”
The panchayat elections will be conducted in two phases—on May 2 and May 7.
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