Silchar Civic Polls: Congress Demands Probe Into Certificates of 13 BJP Candidates, Hits Out at Tax Hikes

The Silchar district Congress has raised questions over the educational qualification certificates of 13 BJP candidates contesting the upcoming Silchar civic polls, and said it has approached the State Election Commission seeking an investigation into the matter.

Addressing a press conference in Silchar on Wednesday, Congress leader Dr Amit Kalwar claimed that doubts have emerged over the educational qualification certificates submitted by 13 of the 38 BJP candidates selected to contest from different wards.

Kalwar, who was the Congress candidate from the Borkhola constituency in the last Assam Assembly election, referred to the educational qualification criteria introduced through the Guwahati Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Act, 2019. He said the Congress had supported the provision when it was introduced.

According to Kalwar, the BJP received applications from 249 aspirants before selecting 38 candidates for the 38 wards. He questioned why the party selected the 13 candidates whose educational qualification certificates are now allegedly under suspicion.

The Congress leader specifically named Wards 6, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 21, 25 and 32 while raising the issue.

Kalwar said the district Congress has already submitted its grievances to the State Election Commission. The party has demanded verification and investigation into the certificates and called for steps to safeguard the electoral process.

The educational qualification issue was raised against the backdrop of the upcoming Silchar civic polls, scheduled for 3 October.

Apart from the candidate eligibility issue, the Congress also criticised the BJP over alleged increases in civic taxes and fees.

Congress leader Papon Deb alleged that the water tax has increased from Rs 75 to Rs 300, while the trade licence fee has gone up from Rs 500 to Rs 1,500. The Congress alleged that the increases were made during the BJP-led municipal board under the direction of former MLA Dipayan Chakraborty.

The party further alleged that the higher charges have not been accompanied by a corresponding improvement in civic services.

Deb also criticised the condition of Silchar’s roads and drainage system, alleging that several roads and lanes become waterlogged even after relatively light rainfall. He claimed that the situation was different during Congress-led municipal boards.

Questioning the BJP’s claim that it could win between 30 and 40 wards, Deb also raised allegations concerning the scrutiny process for nominations. He claimed that the scrutiny was conducted through a joint effort involving the BJP and the election authorities.

The Congress said issues concerning candidate eligibility, civic taxation and public services should be addressed before the election. It urged voters to make their choice after considering the credentials of the candidates and the issues affecting the city.

Papon Deb, Dr Amit Kalwar, Javed Akhtar Laskar, Ranjit Debnath and other Congress leaders and workers were present at the press conference.