GUWAHATI, March 30: As the BJP-led “Mitrajot” and Opposition Congress-led “Mahajot” are in a tug-of-war” situation as to who gets a higher share of the 15 Assembly seats in poll-bound Barak Valley, issues pertaining to the common voter, be it border tension, job security or inflation, remain unaddressed.
The 15 constituencies, eight having Bengali-speaking Hindus as a majority, and seven having Bengali-speaking Muslims as the dominant population, will go to the polls on April 1.
The second phase poll campaign, which has been very hectic with national and state leaders of both the BJP and Opposition Congress addressing public meetings of late, ended on Tuesday evening.
“Residents along the Assam-Mizoram boundary areas in Cachar and Karimganj particularly, have to spend days and nights worrying what might happen, be it their lives, houses or farm lands. Miscreants from across the border attack them, torch their homes and farm lands in a bid to grab land,” Ainul Hoque, a trader and a resident of Karimganj district told The Shillong Times on Tuesday.
Cachar district, having seven constituencies, shares a long boundary with Kolasib district in Mizoram. Karimganj shares a boundary with Mamit district.
In October last year, several people were injured in violence along the inter-state border after some temporary huts and shops were gutted leading to a road blockade on the Assam side for several days. The death of a resident of Lailapur in Cachar district, in a community health centre at Vairengte in Mizoram’s Kolasib district in November last year, also triggered further tension.
Over the past six months, at least three schools in the inter-state border have been damaged by blasts triggered by miscreants, escalating tension in the border areas.
“Over and above, petty labourers who are compelled to go to Mizoram for a living, have to pay hefty sums for both ILP (inner line permit) and work permits, the rates of which have gone up manifold,” Hoque said.
“The common man has been burdened with skyrocketing prices of essential items…The rates of LPG cylinders, edible oil and pulses have doubled over the past few years,” he said.
On the outcome of the Assam election results in Barak Valley, Hoque predicted, “The Mahajot will win 13 seats while the Mitrajot has an edge in the remaining two.”
BJP is contesting in 14 seats and ally AGP is contesting in two seats of Barak Valley. Both are engaged in a friendly fight in one seat.
The Congress is alone contesting 10 seats while ally, AIUDF is contesting four seats. The parties have a friendly fight in one seat.
“The chances are that the BJP-led alliance might lose one or two of the seats it won in 2016, as locals believe that they have been deprived of jobs in Barak Valley during the BJP term. The Opposition Congress has flagged the unemployment issue in a more assertive manner,” a citizen in Karimganj said.
“So, I would say the BJP-led alliance could bag seven or even six of the 15 seats…In the Muslim-majority seats, the promise of AIUDF to reopen the madrassas might also turn the tide in favour of the Mahajot in Barak Valley,” he said.
Over and above, sources in the valley, say that the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), which was once heavily favoured and supported by the Bengali-speaking Hindus in Barak Valley, however, will not be a poll factor in Barak Valley this time.
“A majority of the Bengali Hindus in Barak Valley have supported CAA, which the BJP claims to implement but have been rather silent this time. On the contrary, Congress has ‘guaranteed’ not to allow CAA to be imposed in Assam if it retains power,” he added.
As it is, the “tea politics”, with a number of gardens in Barak Valley too might be a factor, which the Congress this time has aggressively pursued, be it guaranteeing (if it comes to power) Rs 365 per day as the minimum wage to tea workers, or cornering BJP on its “unfulfilled” pre-poll promise of tea wage hike or grant of ST status to the tea community.
Road connectivity with towns outside the valley coupled with underdeveloped infrastructure are issues that have long plagued Barak Valley.
“For far too long, a majority of the areas in Barak Valley have remained neglected and hence, cut off. Bad roads in the interior areas apart, in Silchar town, the second-largest city in Assam, the flyover and the master drainage plans remain pending,” a resident of Silchar rued.
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