No Strong Opposition in Assam, BJP Will Win: Pijush Hazarika

With the Panchayat elections in Assam approaching, state Minister Pijush Hazarika on Monday voiced strong confidence in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) securing a decisive victory, citing the absence of a credible opposition and the party's development record.

“There is no strong opposition in Assam. The Congress has been decimated and is now limited to a few pockets. I am confident that the people of Assam will vote for Narendra Modi, Himanta Biswa Sarma, and the BJP,” Hazarika stated.

Hazarika’s assertion comes days after Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced that the BJP-led NDA has already secured 37 Zila Parishad seats—35 by the BJP and two by its ally Asom Gana Parishad (AGP)—and 288 Anchalik Panchayat seats (259 BJP, 29 AGP) unopposed, ahead of the elections.

Labelling the Congress as a party in decline, Hazarika emphasised that development and governance under the BJP have earned public trust. “We have distributed 1.5 lakh jobs, improved infrastructure—especially roads—and there is not a single allegation of corruption against us. People have seen the change and they will vote accordingly,” he added.

Chief Minister Sarma had earlier taken to social media platform X to call the unopposed wins a "massive and unprecedented mandate in Assam's political history." He expressed confidence that the NDA’s tally would only rise once the final results are declared.

Meanwhile, the Congress has launched its manifesto for the Panchayat elections, unveiled by Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) President Bhupen Kumar Borah and senior party leader Ripun Bora at the party headquarters, Rajiv Bhawan in Guwahati.

According to the State Election Commission, the upcoming rural polls will elect 21,920 Gaon Panchayat members, 2,192 Presidents and Vice Presidents of Gaon Panchayats, 2,192 Anchalik Panchayat members, 181 Presidents and Vice Presidents of Anchalik Panchayats, and 397 Zila Parishad members.

The Assam Panchayat Polls will be held in two phases on May 2 and May 7, with counting scheduled for May 11. Over 1.80 crore voters, including 90.71 lakh men, 89.65 lakh women, and 408 from the third gender, are expected to cast their votes across 25,007 polling stations.