Barak Valley turns saffron: BJP sweeps Sribhumi, gains ground in Cachar, Hailakandi

Cachar/ Hailakandi/ Sribhumi, May 12: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has emerged as the dominant political force in Barak Valley's rural elections, sweeping the Sribhumi Panchayat polls and gaining significant momentum in the neighbouring districts of Cachar and Hailakandi, where early trends point to a similar surge.

Cachar

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) secured 16 of the 25 Zila Parishad (ZP) seats in Assam’s Cachar district, while the Congress managed to win only seven. Two independent candidates claimed victory in the remaining seats—Bhubaneswarnagar Srikona and Kaptanpur Kazidahar.

Despite intermittent rain and overcast skies, the energy among party workers remained high outside the ISBT-ISTT campus, where supporters of both the BJP and Congress gathered in anticipation.

The Bhubaneswarnagar Srikona seat drew particular attention, having been mired in controversy during the pre-poll phase over allegations of cash-for-ticket deals.

In Lakhipur subdivision, the BJP tightened its grip further—having already won two ZP seats uncontested before polling day, the party went on to claim the Binnakandi and Dewan seats as well.

Meanwhile, Silchar’s lone Zila Parishad seat was clinched by the Congress. The results of the Anchalik Parishad segments are yet to be officially declared. According to sources, counting has picked up pace and is expected to conclude by late Monday night.

Hailakandi

The BJP emerged ahead in the Zilla Parishad elections in Hailakandi district, with three of its candidates declared winners in the eight-member body as of 2 pm on Monday.

In the Umednagar–Rajyeshwarpur Zilla Parishad Constituency (ZPC), BJP’s Anjan Nath Mazumdar secured a convincing victory over independent candidate Boby Nunia by a margin of 3,464 votes. Mazumdar polled 10,708 votes while Nunia garnered 7,244.

In the Katlicherra–Bagcherra ZPC, BJP’s Pampa Das defeated Congress candidate Priyanka Das by a massive margin of 13,527 votes. Pampa Das received 20,585 votes against Priyanka Das’s 7,058. Notably, 3,508 votes were rejected in this constituency.

While final result sheets are still awaited, preliminary trends show a tight race - BJP is leading in three additional ZPC seats, Congress in three, and independents in two.

The BJP has already secured over 30 seats in the Anchalik Panchayat segments, indicating strong grassroots support. The vote counting is underway for the second day at the designated centre in SS College.

Despite delays due to inclement weather on Sunday, election officials confirmed that the counting process is proceeding in a structured and secure manner.

Sribhumi

After two days of counting, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) emerged as the clear winner in the Sribhumi district Panchayat elections, securing 11 of the 16 Zila Parishad seats. The Congress managed to win just five.

Vote counting for the Zila Parishad, Gaon Panchayat, and Anchalik Panchayat segments under North and South Sribhumi constituencies began at 8 am on Sunday at Karimganj College.

In Patherkandi subdivision, ballots for four Zila Parishad seats were counted at Akaidum Indoor Stadium, while the Ramkrishna Nagar subdivision witnessed parallel counting of four other seats at Ramkrishna Nagar College. The entire counting process concluded by Monday morning, following which the official results were declared.