GUWAHATI
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) swept a tribal council election on Friday , winning 33 of its 36 seats.
The election to the Rabha Hasong Autonomous Council (RHAC), comprising large swathes of the Goalpara and Kamrup districts, was held on April 2. The council has 40 seats, four of which are for nominated members.
According to the results declared by the Assam State Election Commission late on Friday night, the Rabha Hasong Joutha Mancha (RHJM) won 27 seats, and the BJP six. The two parties had won three seats uncontested earlier — the RHJM won two, and the BJP won one.
Two seats went to independent candidates. The Congress party had to be content with one.
The NDA, however, won two fewer seats than in 2019. That year, the RHJM had won 33 seats while allies BJP and Asom Gana Parishad, which did not contest this time, had won a seat each.
“This victory reflects the people’s trust in the governance we have provided in the last five years,” RHAC’s chief executive member, Tankeswar Rabha, said. He retained the No. 7 South Dudhnoi council constituency comfortably.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the NDA’s victory in the council was “another saffron wave” in Assam. Taking to social media platform X, he thanked the people of the RHAC for endorsing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s welfare policies, particularly for the indigenous communities.
About 69% of 4.46 lakh electors voted on April 2 for the RHAC.
The RHAC victory has made the NDA confident of a good show in the next electoral test — the two-phase panchayat polls on May 2 and 7 — across 27 districts of Assam.
More than 1.80 crore voters comprising 90.71 lakh males, 89.65 lakh females, and 408 others, are expected to exercise their franchise across 25,007 polling stations. The results will be declared on May 11.
