BJP leads in Assam panchayat bodies; counting still on

GUWAHATI: BJP is set to win majority of the panchayat bodies with the saffron party leading in the large chunk of seats in the rural bodies. Even as the counting of votes for the two-phase panchayat election is still underway, the saffron party said that the trend has set a positive vibe for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. BJP targets to win 11 out of the 14 parliamentary seats, and the panchayat polls helped in mobilizing the party grassroots workers that created a “momentum” for the parliamentary polls.

BJP has already won 380 seats in various rural bodies uncontested, followed by 193 Congress, 28 by AGP and 10 by AGP and 117 Independents.

Till 7.30 pm, Out of 21,990 Gaon Panchayat wards, BJP won 481 seats, the highest declared so far by the state election commission office on Wednesday.

Congress with 294 seats i is second and AGP with 115 is in the third position so far in gaon panchayat wards. All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) managed to win 14 gaon panchayat wards.

Out of 2,199 gaon panchayat president posts, BJP won 33, Congress won 20 , AGP won 10 and AIUDF won two. Also out of 2,199 anchalik panchayat member posts, BJP won 30, Congress won 15, AGP eight and AIUDF two.

Result of 420 zila parishad posts are yet to be declared.

BJP president Ranjeet Kumar Dass said that the party is leading in the remaining other seats too. BJP also took lead in 2,199 gaon panchayat presidents and 420 zila parishad seats too.

“We have come back from the fringe to the centre-stage by winning majority seats of rural bodies,” Dass said.

In 2012 panchayat election, Congress won majority of the rural bodies’ seats.

This panchayat polls BJP led a high-pitched campaign with chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal, NEDA convener and state finance minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, BJP president Ranjeet Kumar Dass and host of other senior party leaders joining the "full-throttle” electioneering. Even choppers were used, perhaps for the first time in rural bodies election, for campaigning.