2,902 candidates win unopposed in Assam panchayat polls, NDA claims strong early advantage

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaApril 18, 2025

In a major pre-election development, 2,902 candidates have been elected unopposed in the upcoming Panchayat elections in Assam, the State Election Commission (SEC) has confirmed.

The unopposed winners include 34 Zila Parishad (ZPC) members, 311 Anchalik Panchayat (APC) members, and 2,557 Gaon Panchayat (GPC) members. The announcement was made following the last date for the withdrawal of nominations.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, in a post on X, said the NDA has already secured 37 ZPC seats—35 by the BJP and two by the AGP—and 288 APC seats, including 259 BJP and 29 AGP candidates, without contest.

“This is a historic and overwhelming endorsement of the NDA in Assam. It reflects the deep trust and affection people have for our government and the leadership of Hon’ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” Sarma said.

He also expressed confidence that the NDA’s dominance would only grow once the final results were in, adding thanks to the people and party workers for their continued support and dedication on the ground.

Among the districts, Cachar recorded the highest number of unopposed GPC winners at 319, followed by Sonitpur (261) and Kamrup (237). In the APC category, Kamrup led with 42 unopposed wins, ahead of Sonitpur (36) and Nagaon (32).

Out of 7,173 nominations filed, 179 were rejected and 385 withdrawn, leaving 6,606 candidates contesting in the remaining seats.

Dhubri district has the highest number of contesting candidates at 486, followed by Cachar (445), Nagaon (427), Barpeta (352), and Hailakandi (332). Kamrup Metro reported the fewest, with only 21 candidates.

Other districts with notable participation include:

Kamrup: 297
Tinsukia: 266
Dibrugarh: 269
Lakhimpur: 259
Jorhat: 243
Sivasagar & Morigaon: 221 each
Sonitpur: 196
Nalbari: 155
Majuli: 57
Darrang: 55

A total of 1,80,36,682 voters are eligible to vote in the elections—comprising 90,71,264 men and 89,65,010 women—reflecting a 13.27% rise from the 2018 panchayat elections.

The elections will fill a total of:

21,920 Gaon Panchayat member posts
2,190 GP presidents
2,192 GP vice-presidents
2,192 Anchalik Panchayat members
181 AP presidents
181 AP vice-presidents
387 Zila Parishad members

The large number of unopposed wins has raised questions about the strength of the opposition and grassroots participation across several constituencies. With the NDA already securing a substantial number of seats, the remaining contests will determine the final electoral outcome.