Dear reader,
By the time you read this, the first phase of the Assam elections would be over. Perhaps the most important phase of the elections, today we saw 47 (out of 126) constituencies, most in Upper Assam and a few in middle Assam, go to vote. In the fray are 264 candidates, 23 of them women. There will be 81.09 lakh eligible voters and 11,537 polling booths set up across Assam.
But statistics aside, we brought you, to the best of our abilities, stories that matter the most.
GROUND REALITIES
First, from the heart of the anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) protests, we have two reports — one from Chabua, a town that was gutted to the ground in December 2019, and the other from three districts — Dibrugarh, Sivasagar and Jorhat — which saw the most vociferous protests against the law. In the first election post CAA, how do they feel?
Second, we have a story from the tea garden community, which comprises around 17% of Assam’s population with influence in at least 35 Assembly seats.
Most of the tea garden workers were brought to Assam by the British from other states in the 19th century, and now are its most marginalised community, economically and socially. But, every election, for a brief time, they are among the state’s most important groups. Read our dispatch from Dibrugarh and Tinsukia here.
Third, a short account from Titabor — the bastion of late former CM Tarun Gogoi, who was elected to head the constituency three times, and another from Sivasagar, where Akhil Gogoi, is contesting — but from jail. Fun fact: In his absence, his 84-year-old mother is campaigning for him.
Fourth, we have a dispatch from Dhemaji — one of the worst affected districts by Assam’s annual floods. Meet the residents of Kekuri and Dihiri, who tell us what elections mean to them — especially when the BJP has promised in its manifesto that it will make Assam flood-free in the next five years. You can read it here, or watch here.
Talking of manifestos, both the Congress and the BJP released theirs last week. While the Congress expanded on its Five Guarantees, the BJP promised ten ‘sankalpas’ which include a ‘corrected’ NRC, a love and land ‘jihad’ law, and more. Here are the key takeaways.
EXPRESS EXPLAINED
We have three stories: one on why the rhino emerges as a poll plank every election, another on the significance of ‘jaapi’, ‘gamosa’ and ‘xorai’ in poll rallies, and the third, on the appropriation of 17th century Ahom general, Lachit Borphukan.
FINALLY
Read the profile of popular regionalist leader and the face of the anti-CAA movement in Assam, Lurinjyoti Gogoi, who is fighting the Congress and BJP on the plank of regionalism this election.
Until next week,
Tora Agarwala
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