BJP wins two ZP seats in Darrang; nomination rush marks final day in Dhubri, Dhemaji

Guwahati, April 12: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has won two Zila Parishad (ZP) seats unopposed in Assam’s Darrang district, marking an early boost for the ruling alliance in the run-up to the upcoming Panchayat elections.

Bitopan Deka (Rangamati ZP seat under Mangaldai LAC) and Parismita Nath (Hazarikapara-Kuruwa ZP seat under Sipajhar LAC) were declared winners uncontested on the final day of filing nominations on Friday. Their victory was confirmed in the presence of State BJP president and Darrang-Udalguri MP Dilip Saikia, who accompanied them during the nomination filing along with six other BJP candidates.

The BJP, in alliance with the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), is contesting eight of the 12 ZP seats in Darrang, while the AGP has fielded candidates in the remaining four. For the 75 Anchalik Panchayat (AP) seats, BJP has candidates in 49, with AGP contesting the other 26. Notably, the Congress party failed to field candidates for several seats, and district leaders were unavailable for comment despite repeated attempts.

Meanwhile, Dhubri district witnessed a massive last-day surge in nomination filings, with 2,264 of the total 2,710 nominations submitted on Friday alone. These included 16 for ZP seats, 71 for AP constituencies, and a staggering 2,623 for Gaon Panchayat positions—highlighting growing grassroots-level political engagement.

The scrutiny of nominations in Dhubri will be held on April 16, followed by the publication of the final list on April 17. Polling in Dhubri will be conducted in the second phase on May 7, covering 750 Panchayat Ward Member seats.

In Dhemaji, political activity is heating up ahead of the first phase of polling scheduled for May 2. Candidates from BJP, AGP, Sanmilita Gana Sakti, United Bodo People’s Organisation (UBPO), Congress, Jana Jagaran Asom (JJA), and several independents have filed nominations. The district comprises 65 Gaon Panchayats, 12 ZP constituencies, and 65 AP constituencies spread across three Assembly segments—Dhemaji (ST), Sissiborgaon (UR), and Jonai (ST).

Dhemaji District Magistrate Rahul Suresh Javeer has imposed Section 163 under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), prohibiting unauthorized entry, unnecessary crowding, and possession of weapons or suspicious objects within a 100-meter radius of nomination centres until the end of the election period.

The scrutiny of nominations in Dhemaji is scheduled for April 12. The district has a total of 5,10,537 registered voters and 727 polling stations.