GUWAHATI, April 10: The Assam BJP has named as many as 172 female candidates among the 318 candidates in the list announced for the panchayat elections, scheduled on May 2 and May 7, 2025 across 27 districts of the state.
The announcement – a move that apparently encourages greater political participation of women at the grassroots level in rural Assam – followed several rounds of consultations and screening among members of a core committee on Wednesday.
Under the seat-sharing arrangement of the ruling NDA, 73 district constituencies have been allocated to Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), a key ally in the BJP-led NDA government in the state. Sources said that the selection process was almost complete, pending final approval from the regional party’s central leadership.
Moreover, the Rabha Hasong United Front — a constituent of the NDA in Assam — has decided to field candidates in select areas, further bolstering the alliance’s rural outreach in autonomous council regions.
The panchayat elections will be conducted across 14 districts in Upper Assam and Barak Valley in the first phase on May 2, 2025, and across 13 districts of Lower Assam areas in the second phase on May 7, 2025.
In the first phase, the polls will be conducted in Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, Charaideo, Sivasagar, Majuli, Jorhat, Golaghat, Dhemaji, Lakhimpur, Sonitpur, Biswanath, Cachar, Hailakandi and Sribhumi districts.
In the second phase, the polls will be conducted in Dhubri, South Salmara Mankachar, Goalpara, Bongaigaon, Barpeta, Bajali, Nalbari, Kamrup, Kamrup (Metro), Hojai, Nagaon, Morigaon and Darrang districts.
As many as 18036682 electors (9071264 male voters; 8965010 female voters and 408 other voters) will be eligible to cast their votes. The number of electors this year has increased by 13.27 percent from the panchayat polls in 2018 when there were 15641456 voters.
The elections will be conducted using traditional ballot papers, with the counting process scheduled for May 11, 2025.
