Guwahati, March 9 : The ruling BJP-led alliance in Assam secured a landslide victory in the civic elections, triumphing in 77 of the 80 municipal boards.
The ruling BJP prevailed in as many as 75 municipal boards while alliance partner, Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), triumphed in two boards.
Subsequently, the saffron party along with ally AGP will be able to form the board in 77 councils.
On the contrary, the Opposition Congress failed to impress and could only triumph in only one board while two boards were won by Independent candidates.
It may be mentioned that out of 977 wards from the 80 municipal boards, 57 candidates were already declared uncontested before commencement of the polls.
So the civic election on March 6 was held for 920 wards.
Out of 977 wards, the ruling alliance prevailed in 807 wards with 742 BJP candidates and 65 AGP candidates emerging victorious while Opposition Congress triumphed in 71 wards.
As many as 2,532 candidates were in the poll fray of which 825 were from the BJP, 706 from Congress, 243 from AGP while 758 candidates were from other parties, including Independents.
Congratulating the candidates and party workers, Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the “massive mandate for growth and development would inspire us (BJP) to pursue our agenda of progress with renewed vigour.”
Expressing gratitude to the people of Assam for the thumping victory of BJP and its allies in the municipal elections, Sarma further said that “the victory reflects the public trust on our alliance guided by the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.”
Meanwhile, Opposition Congress accepted the mandate of the people in the civic polls, saying that victory and defeat are part and parcel of electoral politics.
“Ups and downs are a part of politics and the party takes responsibility for the outcome in the municipal board elections. Every political party goes through a good and bad phase. But we have to work hard for the good days and have patience for opportunities to come,” Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president Bhupen Kumar Borah said.
Addressing reporters later, APCC general secretary Apurba Kumar Bhattacharjee said: “We respect the mandate of the people. However, we are not discouraged by the outcome. In the coming days, we will reflect on the poll result and devise ways to strengthen our organisational base and perform better.”
It may be mentioned that electronic voting machines (EVMs) were used for the first time in the history of civic elections in the state.