AMGURI, April 2 - Snapshots of intensified political campaigns and the frequent changes in the level of expectation among party insiders of the Congress and the AGP for the past few days have apparently made it clear that the victory for any party candidate by a huge margin will not be possible in Amguri seat in the Assembly elections.
Series of loud motivational speeches by star campaigners and shrewd party workers at the public playgrounds at Amguri town, Gaurisagar, Jhanji, Dikhowmukh, Namti, Charing and silent political campaigns by the grassroot level workers of the AGP and the Congress have made it apparent that AGP�s Pradip Hazarika and Congress�s Ankita Dutta have got support from majority of the voters rather than any other candidate.
Ankita gained visible popularity, mainly among the youths and the women, in every political meeting as her articulate presentation, modest behaviour and amiable personality attracted them who preferred her to her father Anjan Dutta as a Congress candidate for Amguri seat.
Besides, she is the first young woman candidate of the Amguri constituency, which sent her father Anjan Dutta to the State Legislative Assembly in 1991, 2001 and 2011.
However, former Transport Minister in the AGP�s regime (1996-2001) and three-time MLA of the regional party, Pradip Hazarika and his young and old party supporters, along with the BJP�s members have also not left any stone unturned for the party�s victory in Amguri, which has a history of never sending any MLA of the same political party for two consecutive terms.
Though the village-level members of the Congress expected victory of their favourable candidate by a huge margin till a few days ago, the recent changes observed in the tea garden areas and several villages in Morabajar, Amguri and Jakaichuk and Dopdar have made the situation a little tough for Congress candidate Ankita.
�The BJP�s recent meeting at Jhanji could be one of the main factors, but our party members are working day and night at all those areas to regain the trust for the Congress. One thing I can assure you is that Ankita will win but with a low margin, because of factionalism in the BJP and AGP,� said a Congress insider of Amguri.
Voters� earlier prediction of the major division in the Congress votes by Independent candidate Dulal Barua (former Congress leader) has been overlooked by the Congress in the constituency as no supporter has joined him for the last some years as he was suspected to be involved in anti-party activities in the last Assembly elections.
However, the influence of Trinamool BJP�s candidate Janardan Harika was seen in some pockets, and he may pose problems for the AGP candidate.
As several supporters of the BJP became frustrated after the saffron party�s alliance with the AGP, many members of the national political party were still seen refraining from providing open support to Pradip Hazarika at different panchayats. Besides, the Congress workers have been concentrating on gaining favour from the tea gardens.
�Ankita and Pradip are definitely locked in a tough contest, which has complicated electoral calculations in the seat. We can just anticipate a victory of any of the two popular candidates by low margin. In 2011 poll, Anjan Dutta won only by some hundred votes defeating Pradip,� said a septuagenarian college teacher of the constituency requesting anonymity.
