BY KAMRUL KHAN :
Today, alongside the voting process for 88 Lok Sabha seats, the second phase of voting was conducted, and significant voter support was observed for the 6- Diphu(ST) Lok Sabha seat. The polling process in the six assembly constituencies of this Lok Sabha seat began at 7 in the morning. Since morning, a substantial turnout of voters was seen at the polling stations. Although there were some initial delays in voting due to technical glitches with the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) in Diphu and a few other areas, by 9 a.m., the polling process was running smoothly in almost all the voting centers.
By 1 p.m. during the voting process for the Diphu Lok Sabha constituency, 46.37 percent voter turnout was observed. In this context, the Haflong Assembly segment witnessed the highest voter turnout with 30 percent. The BJP candidate for the Diphu Lok Sabha seat, Amar Singh Tisso, cast his vote along with his wife at 10:30 a.m. at a primary school in Longnit, which is about 25 kilometers away from Diphu. After voting, Tisso claimed that the BJP would secure 80 percent of the nearly 9 lakh votes, while sarcastically remarking that the Congress and APHLC parties would struggle for the remaining 20 percent of the votes.
This time, the participation of a large section of the public in the voting process and the joining of leaders and workers from various parties to the BJP has ensured an increase in the party’s vote percentage, according to their claims. On the other hand, after casting his vote with his wife in the Dailimbari area of the Amri Assembly constituency in the West Karbi Anglong district this morning, Congress candidate Jayram Engleng stated that the people, particularly those from the hills, are seeking change due to BJP’s misgovernance and autocracy. He asserted that the victory of the Congress party is certain this time and emphasized that upon winning, he will prioritize the issue of the autonomous state.
At Diphu, in the West Karbi Anglong’s Dongkamukam, after casting his family’s votes, the Chief Executive Member of the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council, Dr. Tuliram Ronghang, claimed that this time in the hills there are no competitors against the BJP, and he asserted that the BJP candidate Amar Singh Tisso will win by 400,000 votes. He states that they have become confident of this fact through surveys conducted before the election in the Lok Sabha constituency. Claiming substantial changes have taken place in the Karbi Anglong district over the past years, he credits the leadership of Assam’s Chief Minister, Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma, for these developments. Ronghang also claims that in the next two years, the people will witness significant improvements, especially in the area of road connectivity in the hills.
In the morning, accompanied by his two sons, the independent candidate Jai Kathar participated in the voting process and claimed that this time, the people have come out in favor of change in the hills, asserting that he would secure 500,000 votes and emerge victorious from the constituency. Kathar claimed that the public would defeat the ruling party through the ballot box in response to nepotism, widespread corruption, and the curtailment of powers under the Sixth Schedule. On the other hand, after casting her own vote in Dima Hasao district, Assam government minister Nandita Garlosa claimed that this time, the BJP candidate would win by a significant margin in the hills and that it would be the independent Jai Kathar, not Congress, who would be the main competitor to the BJP, making a significant comment on the situation. Meanwhile, Johns Ingti Kathar claimed that he would also manage to secure 500,000 votes in the Haflong constituency and the Ramsa fields of Karbi Anglong district, confidently stating to the media that he would be victorious.
It is noteworthy that, after several decades, the voting process in the hills was conducted without the presence of insurgent groups, and the public came out to exercise their democratic rights peacefully. Although the ruling party claimed a decisive victory through a significant majority, it has been stated that in the hills, the BJP faced a strong challenge from independent candidate Johns Ingti Kathar and the Congress’s Joy Ram Englang.
Today at numerous polling centers, it has been observed that many from the new generation are casting their votes based on the criteria of education and development, making significant remarks about their priorities. Up to the point of gathering the news, it has been reported that 70.67 percent of the voting has been completed in the Diphu Lok Sabha constituency. The percentage of votes cast is likely to increase by the end of the day because many polling centers are located in remote areas, and the exact percentage of votes cast has not yet been determined.
