Date:05/12/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/12/05/stories/2007120557391300.htm

National

ASDC-BJP wrests power from Congress in Assam’s NC Hills

Sushanta Talukdar

GUWAHATI: Opposition Autonomous State Demand Committee (ASDC) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have wrested power from the ruling Congress in Assam’s North Cachar Hills Autonomous District Council (NHAC), election to which was held on November 26 and December 1.

The ASDC-BJP combine has won 15 seats and independents won in two while the ruling Congress is yet to open its account. Of the 17 seats declared so far, the ASDC has won in nine, BJP in six and the independents in two.

Polling was held in 27 constituencies while it was countermanded in one constituency, Lower Kharthong, after militants gunned down a Congress candidate Darbitham Hmar on November 4. Election office said that the counting for the remaining 10 seats was on.

Prominent losers included senior Congress leader and former Cabinet Minister G.C. Langthasa. The sitting Congress legislator and veteran Dimasa leader was defeated from Mahur constituency of hill district council by a margin of 1,850 votes by his ASDC rival Kalijoy Siyung.

Mr. Langthasa, who has been elected to the State Assembly from Haflong constituency five times and held Cabinet portfolios in both the Hiteswar Saikia and the Tarun Gogoi-led Congress government during Mr. Gogoi’s previous tenure, was fielded from Mahur after militants of Black Widow — the anti-talk faction of the Dima Halam Daogah — gunned down his son Purnendu Langthasa, who was also the Chief Executive Member (CEM) of NCHAC. Mr. G.C. Langthasa himself had been the CEM of the tribal hill council for three terms.

Since the inception of the hill council in 1952, the Congress had been in power for 44 years while the ASDC, Asom Gana Parishad and the Janata Party were in power for a total period of 11 years.

Elections to the Hill Council, which were earlier scheduled for June this year, were postponed in the wake of the assassination of Purnendu Langthasa and another Congress leader Nindu Langthasa by militants of Black Widow. The security forces have been conducting massive counter insurgency operations in the hill district and a combined operation by the Assam and Meghalaya police leading to the arrest of eight militants of Black Widow in Meghalaya. The electioneering was low key and candidates were wearing bullet proof jackets during their campaign.