Assam panchayat polls: BJP eyes easy win in absence of Oppn alliance

Guwahati: Opposition parties in Assam once again failed to stitch an alliance, this time for the panchayat polls slated to take place on May 2 and 7, making the ruling BJP and its allies upbeat about another easy victory.

BJP and its ally Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) are contesting the polls with seat sharing arrangements but an effort to unite the Opposition Congress and other regional parties for the panchayat polls did not materialise.

"We will register a victory in the panchayat polls with record numbers. The Congress is left with no option but to give up the fight as people are very happy with the kind of developmental work we have done in the past few years," CM Himanta Biswa Sarma repeatedly said as he gears up for the campaigns for the panchayat polls.

Congress alleged that BJP used the police and money power to force many of its candidates to either withdraw nominations or not to contest the polls. But CM Sarma rejected the allegation.

No alliance now

Some local intellectuals tried to unite Congress, left parties, Asom Jatiya Parishad (AJP), Raijor Dal, another regional party led by MLA Akhil Gogoi and a few small parties for the panchayat polls. But the Congress on Sunday stated that the party decided against a state-level alliance due to "organisational problems." The party, however, said it is open to an alliance to contest the Assembly elections scheduled next year.

Blaming the Congress for failure to unite ahead of the panchayat polls, Akhil Gogoi on Saturday claimed that the Opposition unity did not materialise due to an internal conflict between Gaurav Gogoi, a Lok Sabha member from Assam and Bhupen Kumar Borah, the president of Asom Pradesh Congress Committee. "Our inability to unite the opposition parties will give BJP an easy win," Akhil, an MLA from Sivasagar Assembly constituency, said.

The Congress, however, denied Akhil's allegations.

The panchayat polls are significant ahead of elections for Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) slated later this year and the Assembly elections next year. BJP and its allies AGP and United People's Party Liberal (a party leading BTC) have announced to contest the Assembly polls together while the uncertainty looms about possibility of Opposition unity. Congress had contested the Lok Sabha polls with seat sharing arrangements with AJP and Raijor Dal but the alliance collapsed before the by-polls conducted for five Assembly seats in November last year.

Infographics:

Panchayat polls scheduled on May 2 and 7

Ruling BJP has alliance with AGP and UPPL. 

Congress, left parties, AJP and Raijor Dal failed to stitch alliance.

BJP came to power in Assam for the first time in 2016 and seeks to retain power for the third straight term in 2026.