New faces in ALA

The just-concluded elections to the 16th Assam Legislative Assembly have witnessed the entry of as many as 47 first-time MLAs, which is a kind of all-time record, but for the 1985 election, which had seen the highest number of first-time legislators making it to the sacred law-making forum of the state. As has been prominently reported on the front page of the Saturday edition of this newspaper, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has led the tally with 27 newcomers, followed by the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) with six. This is a very welcome trend, especially in this era of Gen-Z, when the responsibility in various fields across the globe is being gradually passed on to the new generation. What is also worth mentioning is that out of the seven women who have been elected to the new House, as many as five are first-timers, among whom again three come from different tribal communities. Among the newly elected male members too, several come from the various tribal communities, including Bodo and Karbi. The newly elected MLAs will be expected to bring in a lot of changes, especially in the thought process and in sharing new ideas and reflecting upon the burning issues of the state with fresh perspectives. These will be besides their core duties, which encompass law-making, holding the state executive accountable, reviewing state finances, and actively driving grassroots development across their respective constituencies. The newly elected MLAs will also have the opportunity to interact with several veterans like Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma, Chandra Mohan Patowary, Hitendra Nath Goswami, Ajanta Neog, Biswajit Daimary, and Pradyut Bardoloi, all of whom have enriched the quality of debates and discussions in the Assembly in the past few decades through their rich experience, analysis, and wisdom. It will also be expected of the newly elected MLAs to make the most out of the opportunity to pick up the nuances of the rules and regulations of the House and the various provisions for raising issues and matters of urgent public importance. Simultaneously, the people of the state would also expect the newly elected legislators to take part in various debates and discussions in the House by being armed with hard facts and figures so that the government can make better decisions. Every minute of the House, when it is in session, is precious, and the newly-elected legislators will have to work hard to make the best use of their respective allotted time. The Assam Legislative Assembly, which was constituted way back in 1937 under provisions of the Government of India Act of 1935 and happens to be one of the first two provincial assemblies in the entire country (the other being Uttar Pradesh, originally called United Provinces), also has a wealthy library and archive. The newly elected members must also make the best use of the library.