After its debacle in the Delhi Assembly polls, the BJP on Thursday got a reason to smile in the polls to the 746 wards under the 74 municipal body and town committees across the State.
Although the final results are awaited by the State election department, officials said the BJP has won in 340 municipal and town committee wards, while Congress has won in 232 wards. Assam’s regional political party Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) has won in 39 wards followed by All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) in eight wards, NCP in four wards, CPI(M) and BPF in one seats each and Independents in 77 wards.
Assam’s Chief Election Commissioner HN Bora said that counting is still on in some areas and that it would take time to get the final result. The result of the civic polls held on Monday last, however, came in sharp contrast to the results of the last round of civic polls in 2009.
In 2009, elections were held for 696 wards under 71 municipal boards and town committees and Congress had won 425 wards followed by AGP in 102 wards. The BJP, could won only 66 wards in 2009 while CPI(M) won only two wards and there were 101 Independents who had won the their respective wards.
The poll results have led to much rejoice in the BJP camp as the civic polls in Assam were dubbed as ‘semi-final’ before the next round of State Assembly polls, which is scheduled for April 2016.
“We are happy over the results. I congratulate all the people who have voted for a change. People of Assam have realised the misrule of the Congress and voted them out. They would face the same fate in 2016,” said president of the Assam unit of the BJP Siddartha Bhattacharyya.
Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, however, said that the Congress has scored better figures than the lok Sabha polls. “In Delhi Assembly polls, the people have voted out the BJP in just eight months,” said Gogoi while quickly referring to Delhi polls results.