Guwahati: The BJP-led NDA has secured a clear majority in the first-ever election to the Silchar Municipal Corporation, winning 34 of the 42 seats, officials said on October 6.
The BJP won 32 seats, while its ally Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) secured two. The Congress won two seats, while Independent candidates bagged six.
Polling was held on October 3 across 40 wards, with BJP candidates Bijendra Prasad Singh and Bhakti Sen Talukdar elected unopposed from Wards 9 and 20, respectively.
The BJP has sought recounting in Wards 29 and 30. Ward 29 was won by an Independent candidate, while the Congress emerged victorious in Ward 30. Officials said a decision on the recounting demand is yet to be taken.
Counting of votes began at 8 am at the Ramnagar ISBT campus, with ballot papers used in the election.
A total of 133 candidates contested the election. The BJP fielded candidates in 38 wards, the AGP in four and the Congress in 38. Besides them, 52 Independents and one CPI(M) candidate were also in the fray.
The Silchar Municipal Board was upgraded into a 42-ward municipal corporation in 2022, which became operational in June 2025. Silchar, the principal city of Barak Valley, had remained without an elected civic body for six years.
During the campaign, poor road conditions, inadequate drainage, waterlogging, irregular power supply and inconsistent drinking water availability emerged as key local issues.
Reacting to the results, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the mandate reflected public support for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership and the government’s urban development agenda.
Assam BJP president Dilip Saikia said the results demonstrated that the Congress had failed to secure public support despite the election being conducted through ballot papers.
BJP workers celebrated the victory at the party’s state headquarters in Guwahati, where Sarma and Saikia joined the celebrations.
The election results will now determine the composition of the first elected council of the Silchar Municipal Corporation.