STAFF CORRESPONDENT
Silchar, March 30: With cacophony of the campaign trail coming to an end on Tuesday evening for the second phase of the Assembly election slated to be held across 39 constituencies of the state including 15 seats of Barak Valley on April 1, candidates in the fray are confident of winning the hearts and minds of the people.
According to District election office, in Cachar, As many as 12,78,881 voters across seven constituencies- viz Silchar, Udharbond, Lakhipur, Borkhola, Katigorah, Sonai and Dholai will exercise their voting rights to decide the political fate of the contesting candidates.
While the Congress party has tried to woo the voters with its the five ‘guarantees’ viz : a law that nullifies the Citizenship Amendment Act; 5 lakh government jobs; raising tea workers’ wages to Rs 365; free electricity up to 200 units per household; and Rs 2,000 monthly income support to all housewives will reboot the overall well-being of the people of the state, the Bharatiya Janata Party candidate has reached out to the people highlighting the quantum of developmental work it has been able to accomplish including the setting up of the Mini Secretariat in southern Assam and a slew of road construction works as well. Other parties like the SUCI and some independent candidates have also made best efforts to woo the voters underlining key requirements.
Interestingly, the political equation for Silchar Assembly seat has sprung out to be one of most crucial among all the other constituencies in the district. While the political parties, pundits and even commoners to a great extent were safely harbouring views, even a few months ago that both Congress and BJP will have a tough fight for the seat, the consequences of nominations saw Dilip Kumar Paul, the sitting legislator of Silchar coming into the forefront to contest in the election as one of the independent candidates, making the arithmetic into an intriguing triangular contest.
Congress candidate Tamal Kanti Banik who has the support of the allies in-AIUDF and the Left feels, “our party has included those points in the manifesto which we believe is feasible to accomplish in the next five years and there is nothing ambitious or superfluous which we would not be able to achieve.” He added to say that he has a vision for developing the Silchar Municipal Board which, in his words is over 100 years into a municipal corporation. Moreover, health infrastructure at the Silchar Medical College and Hospital is lacking with no speacialist doctors and facilities in the cardiology and neurology departments which needs to be addressed along with existing poor drainage and traffic system. “We have to work out on the possible areas to transform the city and the guarantees, to a great extent reflect the possibilities for the priorities at the larger context,” Tamal, who was also the former chairperson of the local civic board maintained.
For Dipayan Chakraborty, who has been a long time member of the BJP in Cachar district, the development works done by his party for the improvement of Barak Valley will speak for itself in the fight for electoral upper hand in the Assembly. In his words, “the Silchar city is fast expanding and needs an infrastructural facelift for which I have specific plans which could be best implemented once the BJP forms the government again and resumes the untiring efforts for development." Banking on the initiatives taken by the Central and State Government for the development of Barak Valley and Silchar, in particular, Dipayan assured that he would strive to echo the voices of the people and fulfil the aspirations once he is voted and blessed by the people.
On the other hand, Dilip Kumar Paul, who has been raising voices through his spirited campaign alleging his former party leaders of being involved in syndicate said, “ there have been a lot of mudslinging by the BJP and other parties against me but I am in the fray to win and not to aide any other candidate or party. The contest will be with the Congress candidate while the BJP contestant might figure in the third spot. When voted to power, I will do my best to improve the overall condition of the city and leave no stone unturned to bring the foul players steering the syndicate of coal, betel nuts and even rampant run of drugs and arms in the guise of goods."
He futher added to say "among other vital necessities, the construction work of the District Library auditorium, when completed will be the best auditorium in the region much to the need of the promotion of culture here. I am confident that my works will be wisely evaluated and I have left it to the people of Silchar to decide on my political fate.”
