Page 47 - 31JAN2018E
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politics
lowed by the Congress (771), AIUDF (136), under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi
AGP (118), CPM (1), TMC (1) and inde- had proved that its influence over the
pendent candidates (142). Similarly, the State electorate was growing even after
party won 212 ZP members followed the last Assembly poll-debacle.
by the Congress (147), AGP (19), AIUDF The ruling party achieved significant
(26) and independents (16). Altogether supports from voters in Kamrup (Met-
734 candidates were declared elected ro), Kamrup, Majuli, Lakhimpur, Biswa-
unopposed, where the BJP had the nath, Dibrugarh, Tinsukia, Charaideo,
highest number (380) followed by the Dhemaji, Sonitpur, Sivasagar, Gola-
Congress (193), AGP (28), AIUDF (10), BPF ghat, Nalbari and Cachar districts. The
(5) and CPM (1). 117 independent candi- The BJP has Congress did good in Jorhat, Morigaon,
dates were also declared elected with- Barpeta, Karimganj, Dhubri, Hojai, Bon-
out opposition in the local elections. bagged 9,025 Gram gaigaon districts. Prime Minister Nar-
Business-typhoon Badruddin Azmal endra Modi was quick to thank the elec-
led AIUDF emerged as a loser in the Panchayat Member torate of Assam for their support to his
rural polls, as the party could not re- seats. It has also won party in rural polls. In a twit, Modi also
tain its vote share among the Bengali- added, “Over the last few years, the BJP
Muslim families living in Assam. The 991 Gram Panchayat and the NDA family have become the
AGP also lost its support bases among President seats, preferred choice of the northeast. We
the mainstream Assamese Hindus as consider it our privilege that we have
the regional party tries to nurture Mus- 1,020 Anchalik the honour of fulfilling the aspirations
lim vote banks in Brahmaputra val- Panchayat Member of the northeast and taking the region
ley. However, the Congress recorded a to new heights of progress.”
good show in the polls as it succeeded seats and 212 Zila Even though Assam enacted the
attracting the Muslim voters than Parishad seats Panchayat Act in 1948 and later adopt-
AIUDF and AGP. The century old party ed Assam Panchayat Act 1994 after few
amendments, the Panchayat elections
in the State were irregular and in most
of the time the ruling party ignores its
responsibility to hold rural poll-exercis-
es on time.
The BJP-led government in Dispur
was also reluctant for the Panchayat
polls putting the reason that its 50,000
employees were engaged in the upda-
tion process of National Register of Citi-
zens following the directive of Supreme
Court of India. But Gauhati High Court
directed the authority for Panchayat
polls and subsequently the exercise
passed on successfully.
Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda
Sonowal and his cabinet minister Him-
anta Biswa Sarma made the Panchayat
poll-campaigning more expensive as
they used helicopters for attending the
public meetings. In their poll-speeches
Sonowal emerged critical to the Con-
gress, where Sarma went on censuring
all opposition political parties including
their ally AGP too.
The author is a Guwahati based political
commentator
letters@tehelka.com
