Guwahati, April 21: The Asom Sanmilita Morcha (ASOM), a united opposition alliance in Assam, has accused the BJP-led state government of gross misuse of administrative machinery to influence the ongoing Panchayat elections.
In a joint press statement issued Monday, ASOM president and Rajya Sabha MP Ajit Kumar Bhuyan, along with alliance general secretary and AJP president Lurinjyoti Gogoi, claimed that the BJP is systematically using the police and state resources to intimidate opposition candidates and manipulate the election process.
According to the alliance, since the announcement of the Panchayat poll schedule, opposition candidates have been threatened, harassed, and coerced into withdrawing nominations. In several regions, BJP leaders allegedly used state welfare schemes such as Orunodoi as leverage—warning that beneficiaries would lose access if they supported opposition candidates. Public infrastructure and religious grants, including funds for Naamghars and temples, were reportedly politicized and turned into tools of intimidation.
“Government benefits meant for the public are being weaponized to pressure opposition candidates into silence or withdrawal,” the statement said. “In some areas, there are even threats to dismantle roads built with public funds, simply because opposition-backed villagers used them to campaign.”
Even after nominations were filed, ASOM alleges, BJP functionaries used state police to file false cases against opposition candidates and their families to prevent them from actively campaigning. “These tactics go beyond political rivalry—they threaten the very democratic foundation of our electoral system,” said Bhuyan and Gogoi.
The alliance slammed the BJP for turning the election into a “battlefield of coercion” and warned that such tactics were setting a dangerous precedent for democratic processes in the state. “The ruling party must immediately stop using state power to silence dissent. Democracy cannot function when opposition voices are systematically crushed,” they said.
The ASOM Alliance has formally approached the State Election Commission (SEC) and demanded urgent intervention. The leaders urged the Commission to ensure a level playing field and protect the integrity of the electoral process.
“Numerous media reports have already exposed these practices. It is now up to the SEC to prove its neutrality and act swiftly. If the Commission fails to take action, it will risk losing public confidence in the election process,” the statement warned.
