OUR CORRESPONDENT
TINSUKIA: Election fever for the upcoming Panchayat polls has gripped Tinsukia district with both the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Opposition Congress intensifying their efforts to woo voters with claims and counter-claims featuring in the campaigning.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma attended a major rally at Tingrai in Digboi on behalf of the ruling BJP, while Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi, along with other Opposition leaders, addressed multiple gatherings across the district to garner support. While on one hand, BJP was seen using Orunodoi and other schemes to lure voters and often allegedly exerting threat, the voters in some rural and interior areas on the other hand reflected a contradictory picture.
Meanwhile, the district administration has ramped up surveillance on election activities. Dedicated monitoring cells have been deployed to track candidates’ campaign expenditures, scrutinize video footage of meetings, and review social media content related to the polls. Authorities are also keeping a close watch on campaign materials to ensure compliance with election regulations.
A total of 66 candidates are contesting for 22 Zila Parishad constituencies in the district this year, according to District Information and Public Relations Officer Bikash Sarma. The constituencies include Itakhuli (11), Makum (11), Digboi (13), Doomdooma (9), Margherita (11), Sadiya (5), and Saikhowa (6). Following the withdrawal of three nominations, ten Anchalik Panchayat (AP) members have been elected unopposed. This leaves 190 candidates in the fray for the remaining AP seats. Unopposed winners include the sole candidates for Brahmajan under Digboi AP, Bandarkhati, Dighaltrang, Doidam, and Samdang under Doomdooma AP, Gotong in Makum AP, Kumarpatti and Ledo in Margherita AP, and Na-Barmura in Saikhowa AP.
Out of 2,150 nominations filed for 860 Gram Panchayat wards, 58 were withdrawn. Ninety four candidates from the GP wards have been elected unopposed, bringing the total number of contesting candidates for these seats to 1,998.
The Panchayat polls in the district are scheduled for May 2, with the campaigns so far reported to be proceeding peacefully. The district administration has implemented strict precautionary measures to maintain law and order and prevent any disruptions during the electoral process.
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