Parties gear up for gaon civic polls

From a correspondent

gaon, January 29: Political parties are gearing up to capture maximum seats in the elections to the municipalities and town committees slated for February 9.

In gaon district, the political parties are also busy selecting their candidates for the seats in three municipalities – gaon, Lumding, Hojai – and five town committees – Lanka, Doboka, Kampur, Raha and Dhing. All the main political parties – Congress, BJP, AGP and AIUDF are likely to field candidates in for the civic polls in the district.

Buoyed by the success in the Lok Sabha polls, electioneering by BJP is going on in full swing.

Significantly, in most of the municipalities and town committees, the influence of AGP and AIUDF are limited, while Congress and BJP will indulge in keen contest. In the election to the gaon municipality, the Congress will face tough challenge from BJP. In some seats, the Congress will face a tough challenge from AIUDF and in some wards, AGP will pose a threat to the BJP.

There is a chance for BJP bagging maximum votes as most of the town areas are populated by people belonging to the linguistic minority community, including Hindi–speaking people. Also, a sizable number from indigenous community in the town areas have seemed to have turned towards the BJP.

Dissidence, nepotism and interl bickering had been plaguing the Congress.

 The development issues will also cause trouble for the Congress as many promises made earlier by the party are yet to be fulfilled.

Deplorable road conditions and artificial floods have been causing severe inconvenience to the people of gaon municipality areas.

The Congress has won the gaon municipality elections last time. But the party will have to face a strong anti–incumbency this time.

In the two other municipalities of the district – Lumding and Hojai – there will be a close fight between the Congress and BJP. The AIUDF has presence in some pockets and it might bag some seats in Lumding where the sitting MLA, Swapan Kaur, is from the party.

In Doboka town committee, the main contest is likely to be between Congress and the AUIDF. Though Doboka and the whole Jamumukh assembly constituency is a bastion of the AIUDF, penetration of the Congress and BJP has been seen of late.

The BJP has a good chance in the Lanka town committee elections but the Congress may spring some surprises. The AIUDF and AGP do not have much base in Lanka.

In Kampur and Raha town committees, the contest will be primarily among AGP, Congress and BJP. In Kampur, former Chief Minister and MLA from Barhampur Prafulla Kumar Mahanta has some influence which is a good sign for the AGP. On the other hand, the Raha town committee is a matter of prestige for dissident Congress MLA Piyush Hazarika. In Dhing town committee, Congress MLA Gautam Bora will try his best to perform well despite a formidable BJP challenge.

Already 377 candidates have filed their nomition papers – 103 in gaon, 28 in Raha, 18 in Kampur, 33 in Dhing, 64 in Hojai, 42 in Lanka, 44 in Doboka and 45 in Lumding.