Stage set for NPP-Cong tussle in WGH seat

From Saurav Borah

SELSELLA: The 30-km relatively smooth road from Tura to Garobadha forks out right to a narrow, uphill 15-km stretch to this laidback Assembly constituency in West Garo Hills district.
Surrounded by plantations such as rubber, cashew nut, bamboo and more, the rich natural resources stand out in stark contrast to the broken-in-patches road leading to sparsely populated hamlets where development seems almost alien. At least, that’s the impression any first-time visitor to this rural seat is likely to get. Worse still, for interaction, majority of the locals do not understand or cannot speak English and Hindi.
Among the villages, Boldokagre, a nondescript hamlet, 9km from Garobadha, still craves for basic necessities like drinking water, high schools and a primary health centre to call its own.

Schemes like Ujala are yet to light up their lives, belittling tall claims of authorities, and stockpiles of wood are kept beside the road as a kitchen essential.
“We hardly get adequate water to drink here. Most of the internal roads are kuccha. The primary schools have shortage of teachers and lack infrastructure while for any medical exigency, we have to go all the way to either Selsella (village), about 7km away, or to Garobadha,” rues Ringsang Sangma, an unemployed 37-year-old man.
A seat predominantly held by Congress, Selsella goes to by-election on April 11, even as life remains normal and quaint, unlike the noisy ambience associated in the run-up to the hustings. The by-poll had to be conducted following the demise of former Cabinet minister and sitting MLA Clement Marak in October last year.

Asked about the drift this time, many would say the National People’s Party (NPP) while a few others, the Congress.
“I am supporting NPP this time as Selsella needs a change of leadership. I still remember the difficulty I faced to walk everyday to Khalchangpara high school about 10km away as there was no conveyance then. There is none now either,” 22-year-old Sangsrang Marak, a second-time voter who dropped out of school while he was in Class X, said, holding a cricket bat.
A steep, under-repair road from the centre of Boldokagre, leads to two schools, a lower primary and an upper primary institution under Sarva Siksha Abhiyan (SSA), with two massive playgrounds.

“We are facing acute shortage of teachers as we have as many as 75 students but just three cluster resource teachers and a headmaster to cater to them,” revealed Tesrang T Sangma, a teacher at the Boldoka SSA Upper Primary School.
Moving further to Selsella proper, there are signs of “half-hearted” progress such as a concrete foundation for a bridge over a stream next to a decrepit, rickety bridge, which creaks when even light vehicles steadily move over it.

A few metres away, close to the weekly market, is another worn out bridge, this one almost life threatening, wooden railings partly broken on the sides, even as pedestrians and vehicles passed over it without a care at regular intervals.
Selsella also has a sizeable Muslim population, most of whom are likely to vote for the Congress, notwithstanding who the candidate is.
Lack of jobs has forced some like Shamsuddin Sheikh, a mason from Hallidayganj, to move to Tura for greener pastures.
Asked about the candidates in the fray this time, the 40-year-old mason appeared confused but sounded confident when he was given a choice between Congress and NPP.
“Ami haathe vote debo (I will vote for the hand, which is the party symbol of Congress),” the man said in Bengali, without an iota of hesitation, even as he admitted that his village has been devoid of basic amenities over the years.
Clement’s wife, June Eliana R Marak (Congress), along with Ferlin CA Sangma (NPP) and former MLA Sayeedullah Nongrum (United Democratic Party) are in the contest this time even as the constituency anticipates a fight between the two women.

Intercepted by this correspondent mid-way into her campaign, Ferlin accepted that her fight would be primarily with Congress but sounded confident of winning. Asked how she saw the duel shaping up, she said, “There is no doubt that the fight will be between NPP and Congress. UDP or BJP (who has fielded a lesser-known candidate) will not make much of a difference in the tribal areas of this large constituency.”
On her agenda, Ferlin said her priority would be overall development covering education, health, roads and power.
“The tall claims by Congress over the decade have fallen flat as nothing positive has taken place on the ground. Schoolchildren still have trouble communicating through the bad roads. There are plenty of wooden bridges and the one that you see in Selsella proper has been under construction for an age now,” she said.
“Besides, healthcare is another grey area. There have been many diarrhoea deaths last year for lack of access to hospitals. Patients have to travel all the way to Tura for common ailments,” Ferlin said.
On the potential that exists in Selsella, she said, “We have people from other communities such as Hajong and Koch who are very skilful weavers. So if we can come up with some major schemes to streamline their talent and take up weaving commercially, there will be empowerment. Women too need to be empowered. Crores of rupees were illegally pumped out of a scheme for women in the last general elections, against which I had lodged a complaint.”
Ferlin further said people of Selsella have been at the receiving end of poor governance for too long now. “Yet a lot has taken place in the state after the formation of the NPP-led government a year back. In fact, an MeECL subdivision office was inaugurated here about a month back to make power accessible to villages,” she claimed.
Countering her prime opponent, June Eliana of Congress, said, “My late husband (Clement Marak) had done with a lot of schemes sanctioned during his tenure. Selsella has a mixed population and he had treated all of them equally. After the election, he could not come to his constituency as he was not well. But there has been no development scheme in the past year.”
Ruling out any possible “sympathy factor”, June said she does not believe in sympathy but knows that she would have to work hard.
“Now I look to complete the work of my late husband here. I know that drinking water is a problem in Selsella, but even Tura, despite being the chief minister’s constituency, has had to grapple with it for long. People still buy water there,” she said.
“However, in the plains belt of the constituency, you can see that my husband had made a difference. There are more water sources there. Work has been going on in Selsella proper. The bridge construction had stopped after the demise of the contractor following which everything had to be changed,” June said.
Taking a dig at her rivals, she asserted, “The former government led by Congress had sanctioned many development schemes during his tenure. Now the current government is claiming they will do this or do that.”
The electioneering and one-upmanship apart, the ground reality is that Selsella, like many other rural seats in Garo Hills, needs uplift across sectors. Whether it is NPP or Congress, the schemes must penetrate and translate to development. Or else, the story may not be too dissimilar five years down the line.
Even as the primary battle is between NPP and Congress, 71-year-old Sayeedullah Nongrum, who recently left Congress to join the United Democratic Party, is confident of being fourth-time lucky.
“There is no real threat to my contest as UDP is in the government. I am contesting to win. However, the outcome will depend on the mandate of the people of Selsella who want me to contest. I have obliged and now want to help them like I have always done,” he said.
BJP spokesperson in Garo Hills, Digross D Shira said Adorsho was a son of the soil, a simple and accessible person.
“Unlike the candidates or the previous elected representatives who are not from Selsella, Adorsho is a son of the soil. With a mixed population comprising Koch and Hajong as well, in the constituency, our party candidate will definitely have his supporters,” Digross added.
A businessman by profession, Adorsho who is contesting for the first time, said he wanted to serve his people, uplift the economically disadvantaged people and improve basic amenities, starting from roads. “Main jeetna chahta hoon (I want to win),” the soft-spoken man said in Hindi.

Ground Zero: SELSELLA:

Male voters: 15,611 Female voters :15791  Total: 31402Some of the villages under Selsella: Mandagre, Agipenggre, Simbukolgre, Bolsalgre, Domagitok, Wajatagre, Dabakgre, Kalchengpara,  Boldakgre, Chinabatgre, Upper Sasatgre, Dadonggre, Mekmakgre,  Rengmagre, Mangchimgre, Gandopara(Balalgre), Manggapara, Dipogre, Balalgre,  Nengkalpara, Wakantagre, Haldibari, Ujenggre, Rochonpara, Apalgre, Jongkipara, Salbilla, Abima, Ramjonggre, Marok, Meringapara, Konachar, Kharigaon, Namabillla, Sakmal, Silkata, Lower Haripur, Upper Haripur, Boldamgre, Hallidayganj, Charkasaripara, Kasaripara