Vote counting in Sribhumi, Hailakandi crawls under cloudy skies; BJP leads
Despite initial weather-related disruptions, authorities in both districts say the counting is proceeding as planned under strict security
A poll counting area in Sribhumi
Sribhumi/ Hailakandi, May 11: The counting of votes for the recently held Panchayat elections is underway in the Barak Valley districts of Sribhumi and Hailakandi on Sunday, amid tight security, heavy rainfall, and heightened political anticipation.
While inclement weather caused delays in some areas, officials have assured that the process is progressing in a structured and secure manner.
Sribhumi
In Sribhumi, counting began with slight delays at three centres—Karimganj College, Akaidum Indoor Stadium, and Ramkrishnanagar College—despite a heavy security presence. While counting agents arrived on time, damaged roads and persistent rain postponed the start of counting from the scheduled 7 am to 8:30 am.
Deputy Commissioner Pradip Kumar Dwibedi said, “There are 16 Zilla Parishad seats, 95 Anchalik Panchayat member posts, and 950 Ward member seats. We are progressing steadily despite early delays and hope to complete the process by Monday.”
He added that results would be declared in phases. “After every round of counting, we will announce results for 10 Zilla Parishad wards and one Anchalik Panchayat post. The process is being conducted with intervals between rounds to ensure accuracy.”
Hailakandi
In Hailakandi district, counting commenced at the Hailakandi S College centre but has proceeded more slowly than in other parts of the valley. First-round results were declared only around 11 am.
According to early trends, BJP candidate Pampa Das is leading by 1,257 votes in the Katlicherra–Bagcherra Zilla Parishad constituency, having secured 1,888 votes against Congress’s Priyanka Das, who polled 671.
In the Harishnagar Anchalik Panchayat, BJP’s Debjani Nath defeated independent candidate Shibu Ranjan Singha by a margin of 237 votes.
With nine rounds of counting scheduled for the Zilla Parishad seats and eight constituencies in total, officials expect the counting process to continue late into the night.
Despite initial weather-related disruptions, authorities in both districts say the counting is proceeding as planned under strict security and careful supervision.