Educational credentials of BJP candidates contesting Silchar civic polls questioned

The Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP), a regional entity, has questioned the educational credentials of 13 BJP candidates contesting elections to the Silchar Municipal Corporation on October 3, 2026.

AJP leader Kunki Chowdhury said her party had filed complaints against the 13 BJP candidates for declaring questionable educational qualifications, but the State Election Commission and district-level poll authorities had failed to take necessary steps.

“The affidavit of Kanchan Deb, the BJP’s candidate for Ward 6, says he obtained a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree from Sikkim International University in 2018. However, information available indicates that the university was established in 2021,” she told journalists at the AJP office in Guwahati on Wednesday (September 30, 2026).

Ms. Chowdhury cited the case of Uttam Kumar Gowala, the BJP’s candidate for Ward 39. She said that his affidavit showed he cleared Class 10 in 1999 and Class 12 in 2024. “We sought clarification on the gap between the two qualifications,” she said.

She also questioned the educational qualifications of Pratiksha Deb and Paplee Karmakar, the BJP candidates for Ward 14 and Ward 15. The two obtained degrees from a university in Jodhpur in 2013 and 2019, respectively.

Ms. Chowdhury referred to media reports saying the university in Jodhpur has faced allegations that it issued fake degrees.

Earlier, a Silchar court issued a summons to Ataur Rahman Laskar, the BJP’s candidate for Ward 17, after three individuals challenged the veracity of his educational claims. His affidavit said he acquired a BA from a controversial Sikkim-based university.

The October 3 elections will be the first civic body polls after Silchar, the urban hub of southern Assam’s Barak Valley, was elevated from a Municipal Board to a Municipal Corporation in September 2025. Elections were not held after the Silchar Municipal Board was dissolved in April 2020.

Silchar Municipal Corporation has 42 wards. BJP candidates have already won two of them uncontested, while the Congress candidate for Ward 18 joined the BJP a couple of days ago. An independent candidate is the BJP nominee’s only rival in this ward.