'Water, roads first; votes later': Jorhat village draws line ahead of Panchayat polls
Residents of Seuji Gaon in Mariani demands long-promised development; warns of Assembly poll boycott if leaders don’t act now
Jorhat, April 20: Ahead of the Panchayat polls in Assam, scheduled to be held on May 2 and 7, residents of Seuji Gaon in the Mariani constituency of Jorhat have announced they will not cast their votes if their longstanding demands remain unaddressed.
Villagers pointed out that critical issues such as water supply and road connectivity have yet to receive attention from the government.
Residents said that if their representatives fail to provide concrete assurances before the upcoming polls, they will also boycott the 2026 Legislative Assembly elections.
Speaking to The Assam Tribune, a resident of Seuji Gaon said that the legislators had made promises of road connectivity and water supply during previous elections, but none were fulfilled.
“Our main issues are water connections and road connectivity. In the bygone elections, we were promised road connectivity and water supply, but none of those promises were fulfilled by the government,” the resident said.
She added that this time, the villagers would not trust assurances given during campaigning.
“They have not come to visit us yet, but they will. If they come seeking our votes, we will not accept their promises because they have repeatedly failed to deliver,” she said.
The village, established in 1975, is primarily dependent on agriculture. Residents alleged that sitting Jorhat MP Gaurav Gogoi, Mariani MLA Rupjyoti Kurmi, and former representatives have never visited the village.
Frustrated by years of neglect, the villagers staged a protest to assert their demands for basic amenities, on Saturday.
Women and senior citizens were among those who participated, holding placards that read “No road, no vote” and “No water, no vote”.
Villagers also noted that water is supplied by a single local resident, and apart from water and road issues, the area still lacks a primary health centre and educational institutions.
It is important to note that Mariani in Jorhat, along with other parts of Assam located near the Nagaland border, has repeatedly witnessed attacks by alleged Naga miscreants seeking to grab land on the Assam side.