SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
SILCHAR: BJP leadership is planning to increase its tally of 8 Assembly seats to 10 and repeat its performance of 1991 in the forthcoming general elections of 2021. A blue-print in this regard covers all the 15 LA seats of Barak Valley, keeping in mind the parameters of Delimitation Commission. The primary focus will be first on the most strategic and crucial Silchar seat, the epicentre of power politics. It will be a sort of redrawing the map of constituencies to meet the hopes and aspirations of people who have pinned their high expectations on the Sonowal Government.
Dr Rajdeep Roy MP said, "Bifurcation of Silchar seat and redrawing other seats is not a new thing. During the first general elections of 1952 and subsequent polls of 1957, Silchar was divided into East and West. Interestingly, while total LA seats in the first election were 15, in 1957, it was 13 only, giving enough indication of how the constituencies were drawn and redrawn for political expediency." Lakhipur was divided into general and reserve seats. Similarly, Patharkandi was also bifurcated into general and reserve seats.
Karimganj too has been put into two constituencies, North and South, and it remains undisturbed till date. Still interesting to know that Hailakandi was divided into two parts, one called Hailakandi-Silchar. In 1962, assembly total seats remained 13 and Lakhipur reserved was withdrawn. 1967 saw 14 assembly seats with the addition of two new redrawn constituencies –Dholai (Reserved) and Ratabari. 1972 also had 14 seats with Karimganj (South) graded as SC and the new seat of Ratabri declared general, subsequently made Reserve. In 1978, one new constituency Algapur came into formation after redrawing the political map of Hailakandi.
Since then, the political history of Barak Valley with 2 parliamentary and 15 assembly seats remains unchanged. As there has been demographic topsy-turvy in the valley with the districts of Karimganj and Hailakandi becoming Muslim majority, BJP leadership is in dilemma to retain its dominance and secure majority numbers at the hustings. For the time being, its primary strategy is to divide Silchar into two and amalgamate Tapang block under Algapur constituency with Silchar South. The logic advanced by saffron leaders is that Tapang is a block with piquant location of being in Algapur LA constituency and under Karimganj MP seat. But, it is under the administrative headquarters of Cachar. Other constituencies will be taken into consideration later on, said a BJP source. It will therefore be of interest to wait and watch what will be the shape of things to come about the assembly and parliamentary seats of Barak Valley.
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