GMC Polls 2022: Voting Begins For 60 Wards, 197 Candidates

The fate of a total of 197 candidates will be decided on Friday as elections for the 60-member Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) ensues.

The major political parties in play include the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its allies, Congress and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) with a total of 7, 96,829 voters set to decide who comes to power.

After its successful foray in the Punjab assembly elections and fresh from successes in municipal wards in Lakhimpur and Tinsukia districts, AAP is looking to expand in the northeastern region, with Guwahati being a major part in that plan.

For AAP, Delhi MLA Atishi had come to conduct campaigning with Assam state coordinator Bhaben Choudhury saying that the party will win with a majority and form the board.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister of Assam, Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma also came down to campaign for the various BJP and allied candidates with other members of his cabinet following suit.

For Congress, the campaigning was led by Assam Pradesh Congress president Bhupen Bora.

Various issues like clean drinking water, water-logging in the streets, proper roads, etc. were among the promises made by the candidates to woo the voters.

Notably, the BJP has already won three wards unopposed, meaning that polling will be held for the remaining 60 wards. It had given its ally, Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) seven seats to contest.

Electronic voting machines (EVMs) will be used in the GMC polls, counting for which will take place on April 24.