BJP Sweeps Guwahati Civic Polls, PM Tweets "Thank You"

The BJP today swept the civic polls in Guwahati, winning in 58 out of the total 60 wards along with its allies.

Polling in 57 wards of the Guwahati Municipal Corporation was held on Friday. In three wards, BJP candidates had been declared elected unopposed.

While the Congress failed to open its account, the Aam Aadmi Party's Masuma Begum won in ward no. 42. Regional party Assam Jatiya Parishad won in one ward.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi thanked the people of Guwahati for the "resounding mandate".

"Thank you Guwahati! The people of this lovely city have given a resounding mandate to @BJP4Assam to build on the agenda of development. They have also blessed the hardwork of the state government under CM @himantabiswa. My gratitude to every BJP Karyakarta for the hardwork," he tweeted.

Welcoming the results, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma called it a "historic win". "I bow my head to the people of Guwahati for giving @BJP4Assam & its allies a historic win in #GMCElections. With this massive mandate, people have  reaffirmed their faith on our development journey under the guidance of Adarniya PM Shri @narendramodi ji," he said in a Twitter post.

A turnout of over 52 per cent was recorded in the civic polls this time. These civic polls in Guwahati are also significant as it was the first time EVMs were used in all booths. A total of 197 candidates contested these polls.

The BJP had fielded nominees in 53 seats, out of which three were elected uncontested. The ruling party's ally, Asom Gana Parishad, contested seven wards. The Congress contested 54 wards, AAP 38, Assam Jatiya Parishad 25 and CPM four.