Guwahati: The counting of votes for the Assam Panchayat elections, which took place in two phases on May 2 and May 7, begins today (May 11). State Election Commissioner Alok Kumar confirmed the date for vote counting, emphasizing that all necessary preparations have been made to ensure a smooth and transparent process at counting centers across the state.
In the first phase, which occurred on May 2, voting spanned Upper Assam and Barak Valley districts, including areas like Cachar, Hailakandi, Sribhumi, Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, Charaideo, Sivasagar, Majuli, Jorhat, Golaghat, Dhemaji, Lakhimpur, and Sonitpur. This phase recorded a voter turnout of 70.19% from over 89.59 lakh eligible voters. Notably, Majuli achieved the highest turnout at 80.02%, whereas Sonitpur reported the lowest at 61%. Elections were conducted for 216 Zila Parishad constituencies, 94 Anchalik Panchayats, and 1,139 Gaon Panchayats.
The second phase, held on May 7, covered districts including Dhubri, South Salmara Mankachar, Goalpara, Bongaigaon, Barpeta, Bajali, Nalbari, Kamrup, Kamrup (Metro), Hojai, Nagaon, Morigaon, and Darrang, recording a voter turnout of 56.71% among over 91.31 lakh eligible voters. In this phase, 29,608 candidates contested for 181 Zila Parishad constituencies, 87 Anchalik Panchayats, and 10,530 Gaon Panchayat Wards.
Interestingly, a significant number of candidates—1,289—have already been declared elected unopposed, which includes 21 Zila Parishad members, 151 Anchalik Panchayat members, and 1,117 Gaon Panchayat ward members. The elections were conducted across 27 districts using traditional ballot papers, despite the provisions of the Assam Panchayat (Amendment) Bill, 2023, which indicates a shift to electronic voting machines (EVMs) in future local body elections.
These elections saw delays from their initially scheduled dates due to the 2024 delimitation process impacting Gaon Panchayat, Anchalik Panchayat, and Zilla Parishad constituencies, excluding areas governed by the Sixth Schedule and municipal regions. The Gauhati High Court permitted the elections to move forward, aside from areas impacted by nine writ petitions in Sribhumi, Hailakandi, Cachar, and Morigaon.
The eligibility requirements for candidates include disqualification for those having more than two children born after March 2018 and a minimum education level of Class 10 for Gaon Panchayat members with allowances for SC, ST, OBC, and MOBC candidates. For Zilla Parishad and Anchalik Panchayat members, a minimum educational background of Class 12 is mandated.
Assam, Northeast News, Top News
Original Source: https://nenow.in/north-east-news/assam/counting-of-votes-for-assam-panchayat-elections-begins-today.html
Category: Assam,Northeast News,Top News
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Publish Date: 2025-05-11 09:14:00
