Karbi Anglong and NC Hills Council Elections
Complete Sweep by CPI(ML)-led ASDC

In the elections to the District Councils of the two districts of Karbi Anglong and North Cachar Hills held recently, CPI(ML)-led ASDC remarkably increased its vote percentage from 54% in the recent assembly elections (for the corresponding assembly segments) to 62% this time in Karbi Anglong and contesting for the first time we won the majority seats in the NC Hills.

Out of the 26 seats contested in Karbi Anglong ASDC won 22 seats, one on which the candidate was elected unopposed. In NC Hills it won 15 seats out of 23, out of which 1 candidate was elected unopposed. In 9 out of these 22 contested seats of Karbi Anglong ASDC candidates virtually wiped out their opponents by getting over 80% votes. On one of the seats, in Hamren, one woman candidate was successful. Among the winning ASDC candidates were also those from non-Karbi tribes like Rengma, Tiwa,and from Nepalese and Assamese.

After a hard fought legal battle by ASDC, the Supreme Court finally directed the holding of elections in Karbi Anglong. In the light of this, the fight for democracy became one of our main campaign issues. Development work under various policies like constituency development committee, was also highlighted. It was a tough contest this time because of the opportunist alliance between the CRPC and the Congress, the former opposing the Karbi Accord while the latter being party to it. In NC Hills where elections were held after a long time, it was for the first time that any non-Congress party won the majority in the Council elections. The main poll issue of the ASDC here was the highlighting of its role as a champion of nationality struggles in the region, and pointing to the corrupt and non-democratic functioning of the earlier councils under Congress.

Naren Borah