SILCHAR: The BJP received a significant advantage even before the campaign for the upcoming Panchayat elections commenced, as candidates from the ruling party achieved uncontested victories in four Zila Parishad and 37 Anchalik Panchayat positions due to the withdrawal of opposition candidates. Notably, all the uncontested seats were located within two Assembly segments represented by ministers Kaushik Rai and Krishnendu Paul. In Rai’s Lakhipur constituency, two Congress incumbents, Roselin Rosangpoe Hmar (Lakhinagar-Dilkhush ZPC) and Ranju Rani Paul (Borthal-Harinagar), withdrew their nominations amid allegations of intimidation.
In Lakhipur, opposition candidates retracted their nominations for 19 out of 31 AP seats. Meanwhile, in Paul’s Patharkandi Assembly constituency, two Congress candidates, Chandan Das (Lowairpua ZPC) and Om Prakash Kanu, also withdrew from the contest. Additionally, in 12 AP seats, BJP candidates were elected unopposed as their Congress rivals withdrew their nominations at the last moment.
Abhijit Paul, the President of the Cachar district Congress, accused the ruling party leaders of both intimidating and enticing opposition candidates. In a letter addressed to the Deputy Commissioner and the district Returning Officer, Mridul Yadav, Paul requested security for Congress candidates, asserting that they were being threatened by the ruling party to withdraw their nominations. It is noteworthy that Dhubri district had the highest number of candidates in the state, with 486 participants, while Cachar followed closely with 445 candidates contesting. Out of a total of 494 applications received in Cachar, 445 were accepted, 13 were rejected during the scrutiny process, and 36 candidates chose to withdraw their nominations.
