Assam polls: Cong, AGP locked horns in flood-prone dist
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Construction of dams and deluge problems are campaign issues both for the Congress and AGP locked in direct contest in four of the the six assembly seats in flood-prone Lakhimpur and Dhemaji districts, which will go to the polls on April 4.
Congress and AGP are in direct fight in Dhakuakhana, Bihpuria, Lakhimpur and Jonai constituencies on the North bank of the river Brahmaputra which along with its tributaries Subansiri, Ranganadi and Dikrong cause flood every year in the state with the rising of water level in the monsoon season.
Naoboicha and Dhemaji will witness triangular contest between Congress, AGP and independents.
Congress, which won four of the seats and independents the remaining two in the last elections, is finding the going tough with people asking uncomfortable questions about the perennial floods, erosion, poor roads and lack of proper education and medical facilities.
The party, however, is upbeat of not only retaining the seats, but also gaining both Naoboicha, where the sitting independent MLA Sanjay Rai is now contesting on Congress ticket, and Jonai.
Prominent candidates battling it out to retain their seats are culture and sports minister Bharat Chandra Narah from Dhakuakhana, controversial former Congress MP Mani Kumar Subba's brother Sanjay Rai Subba from Naoboicha, firebrand anti-big dams protagonist and independent Bhubon Pegu from Jonai and vocal Congress MLA Bhupen Kumar Borah.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is scheduled to address a campaign rally in Dhakuakhana for Narah where he is likely to address the issue of large dams and development.
Narah claimed the region had witnessed considerable development during the last 10 years of Congress rule. The opposition AGP and BJP along with independents, however, have made the construction of big dams on Subansiri river a major issue and were also highlighting the Congress government's "failure" to solve the annual flooding.
AGP president Chandramohan Patowary said, "Congress is immune to the problems of Lakhimpur and Dhemaji where people face untold miseries every year due to floods. Now they are adding to their misery by allowing construction of a large dam on the river Subansiri."
The constituents mainly comprise a predominant scheduled tribe population of Mising and Sonowal Kacharis along with an influential section of Assamese Muslims, Nepalese, Bengalis, Assamese Hindus and Ahoms.
In Dhakuakhana, Narah, who won comfortably in 2006 polling, is locked in a direct contest with AGP's Naba Chandra Doley and a close contest is expected.
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