Uncontested Yet Controversial: BJP Sweeps Seats as Opponents Withdraw

The upcoming Assam Panchayat election is drawing controversy one after another. The election itself was delayed beyond its usual term, and later, confusion emerged with two candidates from the same party filing nominations in the same area. Now, a fresh storm brews as a wave of candidates withdraws their nominations across districts, resulting in a large number of uncontested victories, many of them going to the BJP, effectively handing them the seat without a vote.

In Cachar district, candidate withdrawals are being reported in increasing numbers. According to data from the District Administration, eight Zila Parishad candidates withdrew their nominations, while in Anchalik Panchayat, 28 candidates withdrew and 13 nominations were rejected. Out of the 35 uncontested Anchalik Panchayat seats in Cachar, 19 belong to BJP. In Zila Parishad, BJP secured 2 uncontested wins in the district.

For the post of Gram Panchayat (GP) Member, Cachar recorded a total of 4,200 nominations for 1,620 seats. Among these, 319 candidates are uncontested. However, the party-wise distribution of these uncontested seats is not available at this moment.

Meanwhile, the Silchar District Congress Committee has written to District Commissioner Mridul Yadav alleging that BJP is intimidating their candidates into withdrawing nominations. They claimed candidates are being threatened and pressured, raising concerns about a fair election process.

Speaking to the media, District Congress President Abhijit Paul said, “After scrutiny, our candidates and their families are being threatened by BJP leaders. Some are offered money, others warned about losing government schemes or their relatives’ jobs. One of our Zila Parishad candidates vanished after withdrawal—her phone is off, and she is missing. This is not how democracy should work. BJP is claiming victories through undemocratic means.”

Meanwhile, Minister Kaushik Rai has denied all allegations of pressuring opposition candidates. He claimed that several Congress candidates who withdrew their nominations did so voluntarily, expressing that they did not wish to stand against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, the BJP, or the wave of development associated with the party.

Statewide, BJP has already claimed 35 uncontested Zila Parishad seats and 259 Anchalik Panchayat seats. Apart from BJP, AGP has won 2 ZP seats and 29 AP seats uncontested. Congress holds only 9 AP seats uncontested, AIUDF 1, while 13 went to Independents. These figures were officially shared by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.

While the BJP is celebrating these uncontested victories, the Congress has termed the process undemocratic. Allegations of intimidation, bribery, and coercion raise serious concerns about the election’s integrity. Such events not only disturb the democratic fabric but also leave citizens without a voice in choosing their representatives—a situation that calls for urgent attention.