Ranchi/Guwahati, March 23 (IANS). Jharkhand Mukti Morcha has fielded its candidates on 21 seats for the Assam Assembly elections. JMM was in talks with the Congress leadership regarding seat distribution, but no consensus could be reached. After this, the party released the list of candidates for 21 seats on Monday.
Official sources of the party said that all these candidates have also filed their nominations. According to the list released under the signature of the party’s Central General Secretary cum Spokesperson Vinod Kumar Pandey, JMM has fielded Preeti Rekha Barla from Majbat seat, Teharu Gaur from Biswanath, Amit Nag from Khumtai, Bhuben Murari from Chabua and Frederickson Hasda from Gossaigaon.
Baldev Teli from Sonari, Peter Minz from Duliajan, Paban Sautal from Rangonadi, Bharat Nayak from Digboi and Prabhat Das Panika from Bhergaon have been given tickets. Similarly, Mahabir Baske from Tingkhong, Abdul Mazan from Barchalla, Mathew Topno from Rangapara, Jarnal Minz from Margherita, Sanjay Bagh from Naharkatiya, Muna Karmakar from Makum and Ratnakar Tati from Doomduma have been made candidates. Sahil Munda from Sarupathar, Ms. Sonia from Titabor, Pratapching Rangfar from Bokajan (ST) and Prabhakar Das from Khowang have got the ticket.
JMM’s activism in Assam has been continuously increasing for some time. The party has received its traditional ‘bow and arrow’ election symbol in Assam from the Election Commission, which the organization is seeing as its strategic advantage. JMM’s election strategy especially focuses on the tea tribe working in tea plantation areas and the tribal vote bank.
The party leadership believes that lakhs of tribal communities settled in Assam from Jharkhand, Odisha and West Bengal have till now been deprived of the expected representation in mainstream politics. On this social basis, JMM is trying to prepare its political ground there.
In recent times, Chief Minister Hemant Soren’s increased activism in Assam has also strengthened this strategy. He has prominently raised the issues of rights, identity and respect of the tribal community while addressing public meetings in many areas including Tinsukia and Biswanath. The party is seeing the crowd gathered in these meetings as a positive sign in its favor.
Political analysts believe that this initiative of JMM can give a new dimension to the equations of tribal politics in Assam.
–IANS
SNC/DCH