Guwahati: The year 2025 assumes immense significance for the political parties in Assam. While the next round of assembly elections are scheduled for early next year in Assam, election to at least five autonomous councils which are scheduled this year is what makes the year important for the political parties.
With the elections to the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC), Rabha Hasong Autonomous Council, Mising Autonomous Council, Sonowal Kachari Council and the panchayat elections scheduled to be held this year, the year is already dubbed as the semi-final ahead of the next year's final - the assembly elections.
While the panchayat elections across the state are likely to take place after the Class X and Class XII boards examinations are over in Assam , the election to the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) are likely to be held towards the end of the year.
Although most of the political parties have decided not to forge any alliance at state level for the panchayat elections in Assam, there are possibilities for alliance at the grassroots level.
The forthcoming panchayat elections and the elections to the four autonomous councils are now seen as an opportunity for the political parties to gauge their support base ahead of the next year's assembly elections.
While the ruling BJP in Assam has already geared up its preparations for the panchayat polls, the opposition Congress is however, still going slow as far as the panchayat elections are concerned.
"We are fully prepared for the panchayat elections. We have already set in motion the process by forming the manifesto committee as well as the election management committee," said a former BJP president and legislator, Bhabesh Kalita while adding that all the district committees have been asked to start the preparations. It may be mentioned here that the saffron party has also appointed former Lok Sabha MP Pallab Lochan Das as the convenor of the election management committee. The saffron party has also asked state Panchayat and rural development minister Ranjit Kumar to lead the manifesto committee.
The opposition Congress in Assam has also started the process for a massive reorganization across the state ahead of the panchayat elections. "We are going to effect an overall reshuffle of the office bearers of the district committees. While the reshuffle will take effect immediately, we are keeping the reshuffle with an eye on next year's assembly elections," said Congress president Bhupen Borah.
"There are some problems in having a state level alliance ahead of the panchayat polls. We want to ascertain our support base by contesting our strength alone in the Panchayat polls. However, there can be alliance at local level Assam's regional political party has also taken up steps to strengthen the party ahead of the panchayat elections. The regional party, which is in alliance with the ruling BJP in Delhi and Dispur, has recently launched a campaign to touch every household in each of the villages in the state.
