Guwahati, Apr 3: The Assam State Election Commission has announced that the upcoming Panchayat elections will take place in two phases on May 2 and May 7 across 27 districts. The first phase of voting will be conducted on May 2 in 14 districts, while the second phase will be held on May 7 in the remaining 13 districts. The counting of votes for both phases will be done on May 11.
More than 1.80 crore voters, including 90.71 lakh male voters, 89.65 lakh female voters, and 408 other voters, will participate in the elections at 25,007 polling stations across the state.
State Election Commissioner Alok Kumar confirmed that candidates at the Gaon Panchayat level will not be affiliated with any political party. Political party-affiliated candidates will contest only in the Anchalik Panchayat and Zilla Parishad elections.
The nomination process for the elections will start on April 3 and continue until April 11. Scrutiny of nominations will be done on April 12, with the last date for withdrawal of nominations set for April 17. The elections will fill positions in the Gaon Panchayat, Anchalik Panchayat, and Zilla Parishad levels.
In total, the elections will elect 21,920 Gaon Panchayat members, 2,192 Gram Panchayat Presidents, 2,192 Gram Panchayat Vice Presidents, 2,192 Anchalik Panchayat members, 181 Anchalik Panchayat Presidents, 181 Anchalik Panchayat Vice Presidents, and 397 Zilla Parishad members.
To ensure smooth election proceedings, around 1.20 lakh polling personnel will be deployed, along with adequate security measures at polling stations.
Candidates must meet specific eligibility requirements, including a maximum of two living children (except those born before March 19, 2018). For Gaon Panchayat, candidates must have passed the HSLC (Class 10) examination or its equivalent, while candidates for Zilla Parishad and Anchalik Panchayat must have passed the HSSLC (Class 12) examination or its equivalent. Candidates from SC, ST, OBC, and MOBC categories may contest with an HSLC qualification. All candidates must also be at least 21 years old and have a functional sanitary toilet at their residence.
