Guwahati: The Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) has raised questions over the educational qualifications declared by several BJP candidates contesting the upcoming Silchar municipal corporation election, alleging that complaints submitted to election authorities have not received adequate action.
Addressing a press conference at the AJP office in Guwahati on Wednesday, party leader Kunki Chowdhury claimed that complaints had been filed against 13 BJP candidates. She alleged that the State Election Commission and district-level election authorities had failed to take sufficient steps to verify the concerns raised.
One of the cases highlighted by Chowdhury involved BJP candidate Kanchan Deb of Ward 6. She questioned his affidavit, which reportedly states that he obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree from Sikkim International University in 2018. Chowdhury claimed that information available to the party indicated the university was established in 2021 and sought verification of the declaration.
Chowdhury also raised questions about the educational credentials of Pratiksha Deb of Ward 14 and Paplee Karmakar of Ward 15, who, according to her, declared degrees from Jodhpur National University obtained in 2013 and 2019, respectively.
Referring to a report published by The Economic Times, she alleged that Jodhpur National University had previously faced allegations related to the issuance of fake degrees. She questioned whether the certificates declared by the candidates had been independently verified during the nomination process.
Another issue concerned BJP candidate Uttam Kumar Gowala of Ward 39. Chowdhury questioned the educational details in his affidavit, which she said recorded an HSLC qualification in 1999 and Higher Secondary qualification in 2024. She sought clarification on the gap between the two qualifications and asked whether the information had been examined during scrutiny.
The AJP leader also questioned the role of returning officer Rahul Kumar Gupta in scrutinising nomination documents and dealing with complaints submitted during the election process. She alleged that some complaints had not been properly recorded and called for greater transparency in the verification process.
The allegations come amid a broader controversy over candidates’ educational qualifications in Silchar’s first municipal corporation election. Earlier, objections had been raised against the credentials of several BJP nominees, although all candidates reportedly cleared the formal scrutiny of nominations.
In a separate development, a Silchar court issued a summons to BJP candidate Ataur Rahman Laskar of Ward 17 following a legal challenge concerning the educational qualification mentioned in his nomination affidavit.
The AJP said it would continue to raise questions about the election process and called for verification of all documents submitted by candidates. Chowdhury said election authorities should ensure that nomination documents are examined properly and that the process remains transparent.
Silchar is scheduled to vote on October 3 in its first municipal corporation election. The corporation comprises 42 wards, with polling to be held in 40 wards after BJP candidates were elected unopposed in two wards.