Silchar, a key Lok Sabha constituency in south Assam that goes to the polls on April 16, has grabbed attention for sundry reasons.
Congress may lose out in Silchar
NEW DELHI, May 5 : Anti-incumbency sentiment and a triangular contest with the BJP and Muslim-dominated Assam United Democratic Front (AUDF) may let down the sitting Congress MP and Union minister for heavy industries, Mr Santosh Mohan Dev (photo right), in his traditional seat of Silchar in Assam which went to the polls on 16 April.
According to sources in Assam Congress, the party has “almost given up hope” for the prestigious seat in Cachar district, not very far from Bangladesh, owing to “a secret understanding” between the AGP-BJP combine and the AUDF.
There were 16 candidates in the fray in Silchar and, besides Mr Dev, two other prominent contestants were former Union minister, Mr Kabindra Purkayastha of the BJP, and Assam United Democratic Front (AUDF) president, Mr Badruddin Ajamal.
However, party sources maintained that “internal power struggle within Congress” could be another reason for the party to possibly lose the seat.
“In the run-up to the polls, Mr Dev had made a desperate attempt to ensure an alliance with AUDF.
This was vital as Silchar has about 30 per cent Bengali Muslim population who share proximity with Mr Ajamal’s AUDF. But this was scuttled by chief minister Mr Tarun Gogoi,” the sources claimed.
Moreover, the heavy industries minister, who has represented the constituency several times in the past and also helped in the development of the area, faced “unhappiness” from the locals as despite his assurances no major industry has come up in the region lately.
Another factor that could have gone against Mr Dev is the failure of Left and other secular parties to sew up an alliance in Silchar, sources said. “The seat sharing arrangements could not materialise effectively due to unyielding attitude of the AUDF and parties like CPI-M who fielded Deepak Bhattacharyya for the seat,” said a Congress leader.
The presence of Ajamal as AUDF candidate only led to clear division of the Muslim votes putting the BJP nominee in an “advantageous position”.
According to sources in Assam Congress, the party has “almost given up hope” for the prestigious seat in Cachar district, not very far from Bangladesh, owing to “a secret understanding” between the AGP-BJP combine and the AUDF.
There were 16 candidates in the fray in Silchar and, besides Mr Dev, two other prominent contestants were former Union minister, Mr Kabindra Purkayastha of the BJP, and Assam United Democratic Front (AUDF) president, Mr Badruddin Ajamal.
However, party sources maintained that “internal power struggle within Congress” could be another reason for the party to possibly lose the seat.
“In the run-up to the polls, Mr Dev had made a desperate attempt to ensure an alliance with AUDF.
This was vital as Silchar has about 30 per cent Bengali Muslim population who share proximity with Mr Ajamal’s AUDF. But this was scuttled by chief minister Mr Tarun Gogoi,” the sources claimed.
Moreover, the heavy industries minister, who has represented the constituency several times in the past and also helped in the development of the area, faced “unhappiness” from the locals as despite his assurances no major industry has come up in the region lately.
Another factor that could have gone against Mr Dev is the failure of Left and other secular parties to sew up an alliance in Silchar, sources said. “The seat sharing arrangements could not materialise effectively due to unyielding attitude of the AUDF and parties like CPI-M who fielded Deepak Bhattacharyya for the seat,” said a Congress leader.
The presence of Ajamal as AUDF candidate only led to clear division of the Muslim votes putting the BJP nominee in an “advantageous position”.
People power to the fore as India goes to the polls
Positive vibes: Amid stray militant violence, good turnout was recorded in Assam … A polling booth at Topkhana in Silchar district.
The new force: Praja Rajyam party chief Chiranjeevi, his wife, son and daughter at a polling station in Hyderabad.
Putting past behind: In communal violence-hit Kandhamal, even riot victims voted under police escort.
Star vote: Mammootty at a booth in Ernakulam.
A vote for democracy: Maoists’ threats appear to have been ignored at Lothugedda village in Chintapalle mandal, about 150 km from Visakhapatnam, as tribals came out in strength to cast their votes on Thursday.
Mindless violence: Heavily-armed Maoists struck in Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Orissa. This BSF jawan was injured in a Maoist attack at Latehar in Ranchi.
Five days of polls in Assam Campaign in full swing
Guwahati, Apr 9 : In Assam, with only five-day left of for electioneering for first phase of Lok Sabha elections in Silchar, Karimganj and Diphu parliamentary seats, major political parties and independent candidates have further intensified their poll campaigns. The political parties as well as the independent candidates are trying their level best to woo the voters through all possible means. AIR Silchar correpondent reports that Several senior leaders of different political parties will be addressing election rallies in different parts of the three constituencies with the nearing of poll date. The congress leader and external Affairs Minister, Mr. Pranab Mukherji will be addressing on Friday four election rallies under Silchar parliamentary constituency in favour of Congress nominee and union minister for heavy industries, Shri Sontosh Mohan Dev. Congress president, Sonia Gandhi is also expected to boost party campaign ther on Monday.
AUDF brews Congress worry
| SANTANU GHOSH | ||
| Key Constituency -Silchar | ||
First, the big question doing the rounds is whether this economically-backward constituency will live up to its fame of being a communally-polarised arena. Or have its voters matured enough to exercise their right to franchise purely on civic and economic issues. Second, there are expectations that prime national issues may hog the limelight once campaign intensifies. Surrounded by sylvan hills, this parliamentary constituency has a voter count of 978,460 with the male electorate outnumbering their female counterparts by 49,889 in this seat that covers seven Assembly segments. Agriculture is the mainstay of the constituency. The farmers, numbering about a little over two lakhs, raise only sali crop which is harvested every year from November onwards after a farming season that lasts for five months. For the remaining months, most of them look for odd jobs to make ends meet. The literacy rate in this constituency is still on the lower side — at 68.42 per cent. Lack of proper road connectivity appears to be the main reason for the backwardness of this constituency. Another reason for the distressing plight of the people in the district is lack of industrialisation, both in cottage and heavy industries, fuelling unemployment among the youths. Biswajit Gupta, 42, a teacher, said: “The lack of the employment opportunities in Cachar is unbelievable. As a result, hundreds of educated youths, particularly those who have been groomed in science and technology, choose to migrate to other cities in the country in search of jobs.” This Lok Sabha seat has traditionally been a strong Congress bastion. Since the first general election in 1952, the Congress has been winning it, except on three occasions. In the 1974 bypoll it lost to the CPM. In the 1991 and 1998 parliamentary elections, the BJP won the seat. The Congress triumph, according to the poll watchers, can be attributed to the polarisation of Muslim votes (they comprise 37 per cent of the electorate) and the tea community, accounting for about 11 per cent of the total electorate. The Muslims and the tea estate workers comprise the main vote bank of the Congress. The Muslims fear that the victory of the BJP will spell problems for them while the tea tribes generally vote for the Congress as the party has a strong labour trade union, the legacy of which dates back to the 1930s. In Cachar, generally the Intuc-affiliated Cachar Cha Sramik Union rules the roost. But political observers say the disillusionment among tea workers with the Congress is growing and may reflect in the garden votes. The entry of AUDF leader Badruddin Ajmal, too, is also likely to change the poll equations. There is a possibility of Ajmal weaning away the Muslim votes in Cachar, a majority of whom sent Union heavy industries minister Sontosh Mohan Dev as a Congress MP to the Lok Sabha five times in the past. The last time Dev won the seat was in 2004 when he defeated BJP stalwart and former Union minister Kabindra Purkayastha by over 20,000 votes. He, however, lost to Purkayastha in 1998. Dev is bound to feel uncomfortable in Silchar against Ajmal, throwing a vital challenge to him by trying to wean away large chunks of the Muslim vote. Sources in the local election office said 1,049 polling booths would be set up this time — one more than in 2004. A total of 5,334 poll officials will be mobilised to ensure peaceful polling. Around 689 booths have been identified as “sensitive” with 293 among these classified as “very sensitive”. |
Miscreants attack Assam MP’s convoy
Sushanta Talukdar
Guwahati, Mar 28 : Two party workers were injured when miscreants attacked the convoy of Congress candidate for Assam’s Tezpur Lok Sabha constituency Mani Kumar Subba at Borigaon on Friday.
Mr. Subba, the party’s MP from the constituency, escaped unhurt.
PCC spokesman Bichitra Choudhury told The Hindu that a case was registered and the police had taken several persons into custody in connection with the incident.
Tezpur will be going to the polls in the second phase on April 23.
For the three Lok Sabha constituencies of the State that are going to the polls in the first phase on April 16, a total of eight nominations were filed on Friday. Of these, three were filed for the Autonomous District constituency, three for Silchar and two for Karimganj.
Guwahati, Mar 28 : Two party workers were injured when miscreants attacked the convoy of Congress candidate for Assam’s Tezpur Lok Sabha constituency Mani Kumar Subba at Borigaon on Friday.
Mr. Subba, the party’s MP from the constituency, escaped unhurt.
PCC spokesman Bichitra Choudhury told The Hindu that a case was registered and the police had taken several persons into custody in connection with the incident.
Tezpur will be going to the polls in the second phase on April 23.
For the three Lok Sabha constituencies of the State that are going to the polls in the first phase on April 16, a total of eight nominations were filed on Friday. Of these, three were filed for the Autonomous District constituency, three for Silchar and two for Karimganj.
