DIBRUGARH: When the anti-CAA agitation hit the state 15 months ago, upper Assam’s Chabua town in Dibrugarh district witnessed the most violent reaction with angry protestors razing down the local railway station, a post office, a private bank and several public properties. Angry locals even set on fire the private residence of sitting BJP legislator Binod Hazarika.
The MLA had a narrow escape as he fled with his family members when his home was in flames.
While the intensity of the anti-CAA movement may have watered down, the CAA issue will definitely be a factor in deciding the fate of the candidates contesting from the Chabua assembly seat this time. Significantly, Chabua is the native place of chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal as well as that of Paresh Baruah, the “commander in-chief” of Ulfa (Independent).
Since 1978, Congress had won the Chabua seat five times (1983, 1991, 2001, 2006, 2011), AGP had won twice (1985, 1996), once by Janata Party (1978) and BJP in 2016.
This time, BJP, despite having its own MLA in Chabua, has opted out from contesting in the seat. As part of its political alliance with Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), BJP has dished out the seat to the regional party. The AGP has projected an old partyman Punkaon Baruah as the candidate from the Chabua assembly constituency.
Interestingly Baruah, who is AGP’s Dibrugarh district president, had resigned from the party during the peak of anti-CAA agitation in December, 2019 in protest against his party’s pro-CAA stand. Later, he rejoined the party.
This time, after losing his ticket in his home seat, sitting BJP MLA Binod Hazarika has been now given the ticket to contest from the Lahowal assembly constituency. In 2016, Hazarika had defeated sitting Congress MLA Raju Sahu by an impressive margin of 30,934 votes.
Though there are seven candidates in the fray, the main battle for the Chabua seat is expected to be a triangular one involving AGP, Congress and Raijor Dal. Ajoy Phukan, a local youth, is the Congress candidate from Chabua while former AGP minister Bhaben Baruah is contesting on a Raijor Dal ticket.
The other candidates are Ananta Hazarika of LJP, Prakash Tanti of RLSP and Independents Priyanka Neog and Lawrence Nag. Interestingly, no major political party has given ticket to tea community candidates this time despite having a large chunk of tea garden voters.
“The main contest will be between Punakon Baruah (AGP) and Ajoy Phukan (INC). Though former AGP minister Bhaben Baruah is also contesting on a Raijor Dal ticket, his support has waned among the voters. His arrest in the illegal teachers' appointment scam that happened during the AGP regime when he was the state education minister is a black spot in his career.
The fate of the AGP candidate will depend on the support of BJP supporters.
It is not sure whether the BJP-AGP alliance will translate into votes for the AGP candidate as the BJP grassroots workers are quite peeved with the party for denying ticket to the incumbent BJP MLA Binod Hazarika.
The CAA issue is also on voters’ mind. People have not forgotten it. If we consider all the factors, Congress is slightly at an advantage at this moment. But it can change after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s March 20 election rally at Chabua in support of the AGP candidate.
The margin of victory will be smaller this time and the fate of the candidates will depend on the support of the fence sitters. It will also be interesting to see which party the tea garden voters support this time as no major political party has projected a tea community candidate,” said Nripen Gohain, a resident of Chabua.