GUWAHATI: Campaigning came to an end on Thursday afternoon for the second phase polling in Assam to be held in three constituencies – Autonomous District, Silchar and Karimganj – on April 12.
A total of 38 candidates including six crorepatis are in the fray in the second phase polling in Assam where altogether 29,15,127 voters are expected to exercise their franchise.
As per the electioneering trend Congress candidate Biren Singh Ingti who has been representing the Autonomous District seat in Lok Sabha since 1971, is facing stiff challenge from the BJP candidate Joyram Engleng this election.
The BJP has been campaigning vigorously in the constituency that comprises of two hill districts of Assam – Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao. The BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi too has campaigned in this remote constituency in Assam. BJP candidate Engleng had shifted allegiance to the saffron party from Congress and is set to trigger erosion on Congress bastion in the hill districts much to the worry of Congress candidate Ingti. On the other hand Independent candidate Chomang Kro who is supported by Hill State Demand Committee (HSDC) hopes to capitalize on anti-Congress and anti-BJP votes to sail through.
The two other constituencies – Silchar and Karimganj – that are going for polls in the second phase are located in the under developed Barak Valley in South. Here the key segments of voters are Muslims, Bengali-speaking Hindus and tea garden workers.
The Congress and the All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) are targeting voters from Muslim and tea workers communities while the BJP basically banks on Bengali-speaking Hindu voters and tribal voters.
Congress has fielded one of its young MLAs, Sushmita Dev (42), daughter of former Union minister and Congress heavy weight Santosh Mohan Dev from Silchar constituency. She is posing challenge to veteran BJP leader and sitting MP Kabindra Purkayastha (84).
There are a total of 17 candidates in the fray in Silchar constituency. In Silchar, Narendra Modi had drew a huge crowd of over two lakh during his election rally much to the worry of Congress while the election rally of Rahul Gandhi at Udarband in the constituency on April 9 was not overwhelmingly attended and the Congress is blaming it on bad weather.
There are 15 candidates in the fray in Karimganj constituency where the main fight is confined to Congress candidate and sitting MP, Lalit Mohan Suklavaidya, Radheshyam Biswas of All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) and Krishna Das of the BJP.
Meanwhile, a tribal militant group called Karbi People’s Liberation Tiger (KPLT) is posing threat to smooth conduct of polling in Autonomous District constituency by calling indefinite bandh in Karbi Anglong hill district from April 8 last demanding political parties who have fielded candidates in Autonomous District constituency comprising legislative assembly segments of Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao hill district, to give public assurance through the media that they would strive hard for creation of an autonomous state in the twin hill districts.
With no political parties responding to the demand from the militant group, the bandh in Karbi Anglong district continues creating fear psychosis among polling officials.
It was learnt that drivers of poll vehicles have declined to ply vehicles to remote locations carrying polling officials due to the bandh called by ultras. Though polling officials were slated to be sent to remote polling booths from the district headquarter Diphu on Thursday morning, they started late in the afternoon to start the journey creating uncertainty over polls in the hill district. The political parties are in double bind to give a public assurance on creation of an autonomous state out of the hill district in response to the demand of the Karbi tribe militants group as they don’t want to lose the non-Karbi voters. Karbi tribe comprises only 35 per cent of the total population of over nine lakh in the hill district of Karbi Anglong while non-Karbis make rest 65 per cent of the population.