<p> Guwahati: The ruling BJP and its allies in Assam got a boost ahead of Assembly elections slated early next year by registering a landslide victory in the state's panchayat elections, the results of which were announced on Tuesday. </p><p>The BJP and its allies Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and a few small parties bagged 300 out of 397 Zila Parishad (ZP) seats and 1,436 Anachalik Panchayats (AP) out of 2,192 seats, spread across 27 districts. </p><p>The Opposition Congress and a few other parties, which contested the polls separately, on the other hand, failed to make much stride ahead of the Assembly elections. Congress came second while BJP's ally AGP came third in the results tally. </p>.Congress getting votes from minority community due to their fear about BJP, claims Assam CM Himanta .<p><strong>Booster for BJP</strong></p><p>Calling the victory "unprecedented," Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who led the vigorous campaigns, admitted that the rural body poll outcomes are a booster for the ruling party ahead of the Assembly elections. "We did not expect so much. But we are overwhelmed by the people's love and endorsements to the development works we have done under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership. We are confident that people would similarly vote for us in the Assembly elections too," Sarma said.</p><p>Sarma said BJP bettered its tally compared to 2018, when it had won 231 ZP seats and 1,143 panchayat seats, respectively. </p><p>The CM said BJP and its allies AGP and United People's Party Liberal (UPPL) would contest the 2026 Assembly elections as an alliance and is confident of winning the polls for the third straight term.</p>.<p><strong>Minority votes</strong></p><p>Sarma said one of the major highlights of the panchayat polls was victory of BJP candidates in several Muslim-dominated seats. "In at least three panchayats in Barpeta, Nalbari and Jaleswar, having 90 to 100 per cent Muslim voters, BJP candidates registered victory. We never thought about victory in such seats. Muslim women overwhelmingly voted for us this time as we provided them benefits under our monthly cash benefit scheme, Arunodoi, provided relief from triple talaq and we saved them by launching a crackdown against child marriage. Gradually the minority communities have started realising that Narendra Modi government is not anti-Muslim," he said. </p><p>BJP's state unit president, Dilip Saikia on Monday said many panchayats would become opposition less this time. </p><p>Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi, who became Sarma's target ahead of the polls, said party workers contested the polls braving threats and harassment by the ruling party. He exuded confidence that Congress would bounce back in the 2026 Assembly elections.</p><p>Akhil Gogoi, leader of Raijor Dal, an opposition regional party, said that although victory of the ruling party candidates in panchayat polls was not an unusual phenomenon, inability of the opposition parties to unite and contest the polls together helped BJP more. "The Congress and other opposition parties must unite if we want to unseat BJP in 2026," he said. Akhil is an MLA from Sivasagar constituency but his party fared poorly in the panchayats under his constituency.</p>
<p> Guwahati: The ruling BJP and its allies in Assam got a boost ahead of Assembly elections slated early next year by registering a landslide victory in the state's panchayat elections, the results of which were announced on Tuesday. </p><p>The BJP and its allies Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and a few small parties bagged 300 out of 397 Zila Parishad (ZP) seats and 1,436 Anachalik Panchayats (AP) out of 2,192 seats, spread across 27 districts. </p><p>The Opposition Congress and a few other parties, which contested the polls separately, on the other hand, failed to make much stride ahead of the Assembly elections. Congress came second while BJP's ally AGP came third in the results tally. </p>.Congress getting votes from minority community due to their fear about BJP, claims Assam CM Himanta .<p><strong>Booster for BJP</strong></p><p>Calling the victory "unprecedented," Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who led the vigorous campaigns, admitted that the rural body poll outcomes are a booster for the ruling party ahead of the Assembly elections. "We did not expect so much. But we are overwhelmed by the people's love and endorsements to the development works we have done under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership. We are confident that people would similarly vote for us in the Assembly elections too," Sarma said.</p><p>Sarma said BJP bettered its tally compared to 2018, when it had won 231 ZP seats and 1,143 panchayat seats, respectively. </p><p>The CM said BJP and its allies AGP and United People's Party Liberal (UPPL) would contest the 2026 Assembly elections as an alliance and is confident of winning the polls for the third straight term.</p>.<p><strong>Minority votes</strong></p><p>Sarma said one of the major highlights of the panchayat polls was victory of BJP candidates in several Muslim-dominated seats. "In at least three panchayats in Barpeta, Nalbari and Jaleswar, having 90 to 100 per cent Muslim voters, BJP candidates registered victory. We never thought about victory in such seats. Muslim women overwhelmingly voted for us this time as we provided them benefits under our monthly cash benefit scheme, Arunodoi, provided relief from triple talaq and we saved them by launching a crackdown against child marriage. Gradually the minority communities have started realising that Narendra Modi government is not anti-Muslim," he said. </p><p>BJP's state unit president, Dilip Saikia on Monday said many panchayats would become opposition less this time. </p><p>Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi, who became Sarma's target ahead of the polls, said party workers contested the polls braving threats and harassment by the ruling party. He exuded confidence that Congress would bounce back in the 2026 Assembly elections.</p><p>Akhil Gogoi, leader of Raijor Dal, an opposition regional party, said that although victory of the ruling party candidates in panchayat polls was not an unusual phenomenon, inability of the opposition parties to unite and contest the polls together helped BJP more. "The Congress and other opposition parties must unite if we want to unseat BJP in 2026," he said. Akhil is an MLA from Sivasagar constituency but his party fared poorly in the panchayats under his constituency.</p>