Silchar Municipal Corporation election records over 63% turnout in historic first poll
Voters braved morning rain to cast ballots across 40 wards in the Barak Valley city’s first civic election in six years.
High turnout marks historic first election
Silchar has held its first-ever municipal corporation election, with voters turning out in large numbers on Saturday to end a six-year wait for local representation.
An estimated 63.43 per cent of the city's 2.70 lakh eligible voters cast their ballots across 40 wards, according to election officials. Rain slowed the start of polling in the morning, but voters turned out in greater numbers as the weather cleared. No incidents of violence or disruptions were reported.
While Silchar Municipal Corporation has 42 wards, polling took place in only 40. Two Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidates, Bijendra Prasad Singh in Ward 9 and Bhakti Sen Talukdar in Ward 20, had already been elected unopposed.
In the remaining wards, 133 candidates contested the seats. The highest voter turnout was recorded in Ward 1, where 78 per cent of the electorate voted. The lowest turnout was in Ward 22, where only 50 per cent of voters cast their ballots.
Of the total electorate of 2.70 lakh, female voters outnumbered male voters, with 1,40,884 women, 1,29,877 men, and 11 third-gender voters registered to cast their ballots.
Six-year wait for elected local government
The election marks a significant transition for Silchar, the leading city in Assam's Barak Valley. The old Silchar Municipal Board was upgraded to a 42-ward municipal corporation in 2022, but it only became operational in June 2025. This transition period has left the city without an elected civic body for six years.
The main contest is between the ruling BJP-Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) alliance and the Congress, though a large number of independent candidates are expected to influence the results in several wards. The BJP fielded candidates in 38 wards and the AGP in four, while the Congress contested 38 wards. There are also 52 independent candidates and one CPI(M) nominee in the fray.
Local issues dominate the campaigns
Candidates from all sides focused heavily on daily municipal struggles during their campaigns. Heavy rains regularly turn Silchar's streets into waterlogged channels, a problem compounded by an inadequate drainage network. Residents also deal with an erratic power supply and a drinking water system that is both irregular and insufficient for the growing population.
Addressing these issues, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma campaigned for the NDA candidates earlier in the week, making a direct promise to improve the condition of the city's roads within a year.
Votes will be counted on Tuesday, 6 October.
Key numbers
| What | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Estimated voter turnout | 63.43% | Election officials |
| Total eligible voters | 2.70 lakh | Election officials |
| Highest ward turnout (Ward 1) | 78% | Election officials |
| Lowest ward turnout (Ward 22) | 50% | Election officials |
| Female voters | 1,40,884 | Election officials |
| Male voters | 1,29,877 | Election officials |
| Third-gender voters | 11 | Election officials |
| Total candidates | 133 | Election officials |
In this story
| Name | Role in the story |
|---|---|
| Silchar Municipal Corporation | The newly formed local government body holding its first election. |
| Silchar | The city where the municipal election was held. |
