Close contest between Congress, BJP in Assam

The house of Asom Gana Parishad, which at one time dictated the direction of Assam politics, is in a state of disarray as several of its top leaders have deserted the party to join the BJP.

  

The Congress had emerged as the single largest party in the 2009 Lok Sabha poll, winning seven seats while its ally the Bodoland Peoples' Party had retained Kokrajhar.

  

The BJP had finished second with four seats while the AGP and the All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) had won one seat each.

  

The AGP's fortune has been on a downswing ever since it was relegated to third place in the 2011 Assembly poll, mostly on account of the fast-rising AIUDF.

  

The first prominent leader to desert the AGP was former student leader Sarbananda Sonowal, who joined the BJP and went on to become the party's state unit president.

  

He was followed by the party's founder-members and former powerful state ministers Chandramohan Patowary and Hiten Goswami.

  

The defectors alleged that they were forced to leave the party as the rank and file had lost confidence in their founder-president and former chief minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta who, however, refused to step down as party leader.

  

The AGP had finished second in four seats in the last polls, but the going appears to be tough for the regional party with the BJP going all out to consolidate their position in the state with the national leadership paying particular attention to the state.

  

Batting for the BJP, Sonowal said, “People in Assam are fed up with the anti-people policies of the Congress-led government and want to give the BJP a chance at the Centre.”

  

Claiming that there was a distinct Modi wave blowing across the country, Sonowal said, “The BJP will definitely improve its performance in the state riding on the Modi wave and will get more than the four seats it had won in the last LS polls.”

(Agencies)

Source: Breaking News

LS polls: 4.5 lakh first timers to exercise their franchise in Assam

"The elections in Assam will be held in three phases. We have 1.87 crore people registered in the electoral rolls who can exercise their voting rights to elect 14 representatives," Assam Chief Electoral Officer Vijayendra told reporters in Guwahati.

    

The number of voters this year constitute 57.25 percent of Assam's total population and it has gone up by 13 lakh from 1.74 crore voters in last Lok Sabha elections in 2009, he said.

    

"We published the latest electoral rolls in January this year and the number has increased by 6.6 lakh from the last rolls in January 2013," the CEO said.

       

When asked about the first time voters, Vijayendra said that 4.5 lakh youngsters in the age group of 18-19 years would vote for the first time in the Lok Sabha elections.

   

Talking about the 'D' (doubtful/disputed/dubious) voters, the CEO said that the number stands at around 1.42 lakh in the state.

    

On Election photo identity card (EPIC), he said that Assam will have its first election with such identification system although it already exists in other parts of the country.

    

On being asked about much could be the total expenditure of the three-phase elections in Assam, Vijayendra said, "It is estimated to be around Rs 82 crore. During the last Assembly elections in Assam in 2011, we had spent around Rs 79 crore."     

Speaking about the polling stations, he said that the elections would be held at 24,275 polling stations across the state, which is an increase of 28.93 percent from 18,828 booths in 2009 Lok Sabha elections.

Out of these, 7,200 polling stations have been identified as ‘critical’, he said, adding, "The police are working on other categories like sensitive and hyper sensitive polling booths.”

The entire exercise this time would involve around 1.25 lakh people in the state as compared to one lakh people in 2009.

    

The Lok Sabha elections for 14 seats in Assam would be held on April 7, 12 and 24, while counting will take place along with the entire country on May 16.

    

As per the schedule by the Election Commission of India, five constituencies will go for polling in the first phase, while it will be three and six constituencies respectively during the second and third phases of polling in the state.     

Tezpur, Kaliabor, Jorhat, Dibrugarh and Lakhimpur constituencies would go for polling in the first phase.

    

Karimganj, Silchar and Autonomous Hill District in second phase, while the elections for the prestigious Guwahati seat along with Dhubri, Kokrajhar, Barpeta, Mangaldai and Nagaon seats would be held in the last phase.

    

On being asked about his area of concern in conducting a free and fair election in Assam, Vijayendra said, "The issues are - there should not be any intimidation to any section of the society and there should not be any money power to influence the voters."

    

The Election Commission ‘will take all care’ by deploying ‘maximum number of forces and observers’ to have fair elections in Assam, he added.

    

He, however, declined to inform how many security personnel or observers would be deployed in Assam during the polling period.

(Agencies)

Source: Latest News

Assam: 100-hour shutdown cripples normal life in Dima Hasao

The bandh was called in demand of bifurcation of Dima Hasao into two districts and protesting against the renaming of the North Cachar Hills also known as NC Hills.

   

Security was tightened across the district after talks with the district administration failed to resolve the deadlock and bandh supporters refused to call it off, official sources said in Haflong.

   

There was, however, no report of any untoward incident from any part of the district, they said.

   

Banks, commercial establishments and government offices remain closed and vehicles were off the road though schools and colleges were exempted from the purview of the bandh as the secondary and higher secondary school examinations are on.    

Trains service between Lumding and Badarpur in the hill section were affected due to the bandh with all day and night rail services suspended, North East Frontier Railway sources said.

   

The bandh was in effect also in Haflong, Mahur, Harangajao, while it was partial in Maibang, Diyungmuk, Gunjung, Langting.

Source: Breaking News

(Agencies)

Assam CM Gogoi distributes land deeds to city dwellers

The Chief Minister said the process for distribution of land patta (land deed) to those who have occupied government land for 10 years and above has started in right earnest.

   

"We have started the process of distribution of patta from today and it would be completed in due course of time," he said.

       

He said it was unfortunate that some sections had been trying to put hurdles on the way of allotting patta.

"Everything has been carried out in consultation with Krishak Mukti Sangram Samity leader Akhil Gogoi," the Chief Minister said.

       

"They can demand that the process be expedited and raise other issues. We would listen to them. But why they should put a spanner in the process of distribution of land patta, which they have been demanding since long," he added.

       

Gogoi, however, asserted the government would not allow encroachment on forests land and wetlands at any cost.

“The destruction of forests has led to flash floods resulting in heavy erosion rendering many homeless and affecting lakhs of acres of agricultural land due to siltation,” Gogoi said.

"The encroachment on wetlands will also lead to an alarming situation and may result in drinking water scarcity, health and other problems. We cannot allow things to drift to a point of no return," he added.

       

The Chief Minister said in granting land patta the preference would be given to those living below the poverty-line, homeless and landless people.

       

The first recipient of land patta was Purnima Saikia, mother of Deepamoni Saikia who had died in a bomb blast in Guwahati in October 2008.

       

Hitting out at Akhil Gogoi for creating a situation by resorting to agitation on the day of distribution of land deeds, Revenue Minister Prithivi Majhi said, “It was clearly spelt out to him in course of a meeting with the Chief Minister on December 9 last year that the entire process of allotting land patta to around 70,000 to 75,000 dwellers living in hills and plains of Guwahati would take at least three years and not six months as demanded by him."

"It was agreed upon to start the process of issuing land patta. And now he has taken a U-turn and creating an uncalled for situation," Majhi claimed.

   

Pranab Boro set himself on fire in front of the Secretariat here on Monday morning and succumbed to his wounds in the GMC Hospital later in the day triggering protest across the state.

(Agencies)

Source: Latest News

Assam CM asks people to treat Modi as guest during BJP’s 22nd February rally

"Modi) will stay here only two or three hours. He is a ‘mehman’ (guest) visiting us for such a short time, so treat him as you treat a guest," Gogoi said on the sidelines of a function in Silchar.

   

Modi is scheduled to address a rally in Silchar on Saturday before leaving for another one to be held at Pasighat in East Siang district of Arunachal Pradesh.

   

Talking about the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls, the Chief Minister said the AIUDF has no future in the state.

   

"Many Muslims were influenced by the AIUDF and had cast their votes in favour of their candidates in the last elections but ultimately they have realized that the leaders of the party are not interested in serving them," Gogoi said.

   

"AIUDF leader Badruddin Ajmal contested the last Parliamentary elections from Silchar. He lost the polls, and in fact, he gave away the seat indirectly to BJP but now people will not repeat the same mistake," he added.

Gogoi claimed that Assam has reached a new era of development, which happened only because of the Congress.

(Agencies)

Source: Latest News

Gogoi presents Interim Budget, says Assam’s growth estimated at 5.87 percent

Gogoi, who also holds the Finance portfolio, said, “As per advance estimate, the GSDP at constant prices (2004-2005) for 2013-2014 reflected a growth of 5.87 percent.”

“The GSDP at current prices during 2012-13 with a 'quick estimate' is 12.56 percent higher than 2011-12,” he added, while presenting the Interim Budget for 2014-2015 in the Assam Assembly.

Gogoi said that the state has withstood the pressure of global recession and fiscal compression since 2008.

    

"While I am confident that I shall be able to maintain this trend in the coming days too, I would, however, like to put in a word of caution. The overall national growth rate continues to be much below expectation. Our state cannot remain totally insulated for long from global and national economic trends," he said.

    

The state witnessed revenue surplus of Rs 1,554 crore in 2012-13, he added.

    

"The fiscal deficit has also turned into a surplus of Rs 1,516 crore and the fiscal deficit to GSDP ratio has come down to (-) 1.06 percent of GSDP during 2012-13 as compared to 1.43 percent in 2011-12," Gogoi said.

    

Also, the interest payment to total revenue receipts has gone down to 6.87 percent in last fiscal from 18.62 percent in 2003-04, he said.

    

Gogoi further said that the state government will also revise salaries of its employees in line with the seventh pay commission, which has already been constituted by the Centre.

    

"Due to these developments and other unavoidable circumstances, we will have to be extremely careful and avoid all wasteful expenditure and tap every possible revenue earning sources," the Chief Minister said.

    

The state government will present its full budget for 2014-15 only after the Centre unveils its full budget for the next fiscal post the Lok Sabha elections.

    

"To defray the obligatory and other necessary expenses, I seek vote-on-account on the demand for grants for an aggregate amount of Rs 28,467.20 crore for the period from 1st April 2014 to 30th September 2014," Gogoi said.

(Agencies)

Source: Latest News

Assam's ethnic clashes: 1,327 families yet to be rehabilitated

In a written reply to the Assam Legislative Assembly, Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Prithibi Majhi said that a total of 18,823 families lost their houses completely, while 999 houses were partially damaged.

   

"Till now, 1,327 families are yet to be rehabilitated. Necessary instructions have already been given to respective DCs to take steps to rehabilitate them," he said in reply to All Indian United Democratic Front's Hafiz Bashir Ahmed's query in the Assembly.

   

Out of the affected families, 15,983 have received a financial assistance of Rs 22,700 from the state government along with three bundles of roof-shed (tin), while the Centre gave Rs 30,000 to each household from the Prime Minister's relief fund, Majhi said.

   

The Centre and state government gave Rs 20,000 separately to all of the 999 owners of partially damaged houses, he said.

   

Besides, 1,507 families whose houses were completely destroyed during the clashes were also provided with Rs 50,000, Majhi added.

   

Clashes between Bodos and Bengali-speaking Muslims in July-August 2012 had claimed 110 lives and displaced several lakh people.

(Agencies)

Source: Online Current News