From Ghatia to Bhagatpore in Alipurduar and Malbazar in Jalpaiguri, booths in tribal-dominated areas remained deserted, following an election boycott call by the Akhil Bharatiya Adivasi Vikas Parshad (ABAVP). More than 6 lakh tribals and scores of Gorkhas in the two North Bengal districts refused to vote, leading to sporadic incidents of violence.
At Palashbari Tea Garden, tribals ran away with an EVM, while eight ABAVP supporters were arrested for picketing near a booth at Gurjangjohora Tea Estate. Tribals and Gorkhas clashed at Palashbari over the poll boycott. The Left Front, which has been holding both the Alipuarduar and Jalpaiguri seats since 1977, could be the most affected by the boycott, felt local political circles.
Walking past a deserted polling booth at Upper Ghatia, 60-year-old Shukra Munda cast a disinterested look at the polling station. "None of the parties has ever come to our help. The government was biased towards Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) during the clashes last January. We feel let down. Why should we vote?" said Munda. Less than 20% of the tribals in the two North Bengal districts cast their votes. Both tribals and Gorkhas have traditionally voted for the Left Front.
The boycott call can be traced back to January, when GJM made repeated forays into the foothills. They were resisted by ABAVP when they attempted to hold a meeting at Malbazar. It led to several clashes on January 16. The tribals alleged that the police had been soft towards the GJM while they were forcibly driven out of the area. The clashes continued till February.
Other issues such as closed tea gardens and lack of civic amenities have fuelled the discontent as well. ABAVP had submitted a charter of demands to the chief minister seeking GJM's ouster from the area, or else they would boycott the election.
"The boycott will affect our margin though I don't believe it could change results. Our candidates will win comfortably but we would have been better placed had they voted," said Manik Sanyal, Left Front Jalpaiguri district convener. While CPM candidate Mahendra Kumar Roy is pitted against Congress' Sukhbilas Verma at Jalpaiguri, Manohar Tirkey of RSP is taking on Trinamool Congress' Pawan Lakra at Alipurduar. BJP candidate Manoj Tigga is also in the fray.
Despite the Left Front's best efforts, polling remained poor. At the Satali Tea Garden in Alipurduar's Hanshimara, from where Manohar Tirkey hails, less than 20% voted. Polling was better in the traditional Congress pockets of Nagrakata, Changmari Tea Estate and Malbazar. Congress district president Biswaranjan Sarkar felt CPM was responsible for infuriating the tribals. "They had initially supported ABAVP to counter GJM. Later, the tribals dumped them when they realized they were actually appeasing Gorkhas," said Sarkar.
The picture was similar at Terai. Not a single vote was cast at several booths such as Phansidewa, Raykota and Bijlimoni Tea Estate. In Kadambini, Mariview and Tirdhana tea estates, there was less than 10% polling.
Source: The Times Of India
At Palashbari Tea Garden, tribals ran away with an EVM, while eight ABAVP supporters were arrested for picketing near a booth at Gurjangjohora Tea Estate. Tribals and Gorkhas clashed at Palashbari over the poll boycott. The Left Front, which has been holding both the Alipuarduar and Jalpaiguri seats since 1977, could be the most affected by the boycott, felt local political circles.
Walking past a deserted polling booth at Upper Ghatia, 60-year-old Shukra Munda cast a disinterested look at the polling station. "None of the parties has ever come to our help. The government was biased towards Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) during the clashes last January. We feel let down. Why should we vote?" said Munda. Less than 20% of the tribals in the two North Bengal districts cast their votes. Both tribals and Gorkhas have traditionally voted for the Left Front.
The boycott call can be traced back to January, when GJM made repeated forays into the foothills. They were resisted by ABAVP when they attempted to hold a meeting at Malbazar. It led to several clashes on January 16. The tribals alleged that the police had been soft towards the GJM while they were forcibly driven out of the area. The clashes continued till February.
Other issues such as closed tea gardens and lack of civic amenities have fuelled the discontent as well. ABAVP had submitted a charter of demands to the chief minister seeking GJM's ouster from the area, or else they would boycott the election.
"The boycott will affect our margin though I don't believe it could change results. Our candidates will win comfortably but we would have been better placed had they voted," said Manik Sanyal, Left Front Jalpaiguri district convener. While CPM candidate Mahendra Kumar Roy is pitted against Congress' Sukhbilas Verma at Jalpaiguri, Manohar Tirkey of RSP is taking on Trinamool Congress' Pawan Lakra at Alipurduar. BJP candidate Manoj Tigga is also in the fray.
Despite the Left Front's best efforts, polling remained poor. At the Satali Tea Garden in Alipurduar's Hanshimara, from where Manohar Tirkey hails, less than 20% voted. Polling was better in the traditional Congress pockets of Nagrakata, Changmari Tea Estate and Malbazar. Congress district president Biswaranjan Sarkar felt CPM was responsible for infuriating the tribals. "They had initially supported ABAVP to counter GJM. Later, the tribals dumped them when they realized they were actually appeasing Gorkhas," said Sarkar.
The picture was similar at Terai. Not a single vote was cast at several booths such as Phansidewa, Raykota and Bijlimoni Tea Estate. In Kadambini, Mariview and Tirdhana tea estates, there was less than 10% polling.
Source: The Times Of India
No comments:
Post a Comment