Raijor Dal falters in Panchayat Polls debut, routed in home turf Sivasagar

Guwahati, May 13: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has swept the Panchayat polls in Assam, leaving the Opposition with only a scattered presence across rural pockets of the state.

Raijor Dal—contesting the rural polls for the first time—performed poorly. Led by Sivasagar MLA Akhil Gogoi, the party secured just three Zilla Parishad Member (ZPM) seats and 19 Anchalik Panchayat Member (APM) seats across the state.

Interestingly, all three ZP seats won by Raijor Dal were in areas considered strongholds of other Opposition parties like the Congress and the AIUDF. These include:

• Pabho Zila Parishad under Naoboicha constituency, represented by Congress MLA Bharat Narah
• Shyamtila Aparia Zila Parishad under Dalgaon constituency, held by AIUDF MLA Mazibur Rahman
• Mahamaya Zila Parishad under Gauripur constituency, represented by AIUDF MLA Nijanur Rahman

Most of the party’s Anchalik Panchayat wins also came from districts such as Dhubri, Barpeta, and Morigaon—areas where Congress or AIUDF hold the MLA seats. Notably, Raijor Dal failed to win a single ZP seat in any BJP-dominated constituency.

The most glaring defeat came in Sivasagar, party chief Akhil Gogoi’s home turf. Here, the BJP swept 11 of the 12 Zilla Parishad seats, while NDA ally Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) won the remaining one.

Raijor Dal failed to open its account. Of the 82 Anchalik Panchayat seats in the district, the party won only one seat in the Demow assembly constituency.

“In the Sivasagar assembly area, we could not get the result we expected. This happened because the Congress party also contested all seats, and the anti-BJP vote got divided,” the party said in a statement.

Raijor Dal further claimed that 224 Gram Panchayat members supported by the party won across Assam, including 43 in Sivasagar district.

Meanwhile, the BJP celebrated its landslide victory. Party president Dilip Saikia said the results showed a “clear and strong mandate” from the people.

He added that the BJP and its allies had won over 80% of both ZPM and APM seats, rendering most Panchayats in Assam "opposition-free".

“The elected members will help build a stronger Panchayati Raj system and a better Assam. They must work with honesty and keep people’s needs in mind,” Saikia said.

The election results reveal that Raijor Dal has only managed to win in areas where the Opposition already has a stronghold.

In BJP-dominated regions, the party faltered. Losing Sivasagar, despite being led by the sitting MLA, marks a serious setback for Raijor Dal and highlights the steep challenges it continues to face in establishing a statewide presence.