Silchar: Residents of Silchar will vote on Saturday in its first municipal corporation election, with civic issues such as poor roads, inadequate drainage, waterlogging, erratic power supply and irregular drinking-water supply taking centre stage.Polling will be held from 7.30 am to 4 pm in 40 wards. BJP candidates Bijendra Prasad Singh and Bhakti Sen Talukder have already been elected unopposed from Wards 9 and 20, respectively. A total of 133 candidates are in the fray.The corporation has 2,70,772 electors — 1,29,877 men, 1,40,884 women and 11 third-gender voters. Authorities have set up 316 polling stations. Polling personnel and election materials reached their designated stations on Friday, while security was tightened across the corporation area and around polling booths.The election is the first since the erstwhile Silchar Municipal Board was upgraded to a corporation. The 42-ward corporation was notified by the state govt in Nov 2022 and became operational in June 2025. Silchar has remained without an elected civic body for around six years.The main contest is between the ruling BJP-AGP alliance and Congress, though Independents could influence several ward contests. BJP has fielded candidates in 38 wards and AGP in four, while Congress has candidates in 38 wards. The final field also includes 52 Independents and one CPM candidate.BJP enters polling day with two seats secured, but its campaign was marked by internal dissent. Days before voting, the party expelled 16 Cachar workers for alleged indiscipline and anti-party activities.Civic infrastructure has remained at the centre of the campaign. Residents have long complained of poor roads, inadequate drains, waterlogging, drinking-water shortages and waste-management problems. Heavy rain on the final day of campaigning left several stretches waterlogged, putting drainage back in focus.The BJP’s “Sankalp Patra” promises a master plan, a centralised Jal Board, measures to tackle waterlogging, uninterrupted drinking-water supply, improved roads and footpaths, street lights, public toilets and steps towards a garbage-free city.CM Himanta Biswa Sarma gave the BJP campaign its final major push at a rally on Wednesday. He announced a special Rs 1-crore fund for each ward won by the BJP, promised a separate annual allocation if the party controls the corporation and said Silchar’s roads would be restored within a year. Sarma also said he would personally monitor the corporation’s functioning.Congress focused its campaign on unresolved civic problems and accountability in urban governance, while accusing the ruling party of violating the Model Code of Conduct through development announcements.With several Independents and rebel candidates in the fray, local equations and candidates’ individual standing could influence several ward contests.Counting will begin at 8 am on Oct 6, while Oct 5 has been reserved for repolling, if required. The state govt has declared Saturday a public holiday in the Silchar Municipal Corporation area.
