Adivasi groups meet in Margherita to chart strategy ahead of Assam Assembly polls

With only days left for the upcoming Assam Assembly elections, political activity has intensified across the state as parties step up campaigns and outreach programmes. 

In this backdrop, the All Adivasi Student Association of Assam (AASAA) on February 26 convened a crucial meeting at the Margherita Block Conference Hall to chalk out a roadmap for the elections in the Margherita constituency, where Adivasi voters are considered electorally decisive.

The meeting was organised under the direction of the AASAA central executive committee and the Tinsukia district committee. Leaders of AASAA along with members of the Adivasi community from Tinsukia, Digboi and Margherita constituencies participated in the deliberations.

Participants discussed strategies to consolidate Adivasi votes in the 83rd Margherita Legislative Assembly Constituency, which has a total of 1,76,109 voters. Speakers at the meeting pointed out that after Assamese voters, the Adivasi community constitutes the second-largest voter base in the constituency, making it a key factor in determining the election outcome.

During the meeting, it was announced that the Jai Bharat Party, in alliance with the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), has proposed a total of five candidates for the Margherita seat. Among them, Garnel Minj, General Secretary of the AASAA Tinsukia district committee, has emerged as the first choice.

Addressing the gathering, Albert Orea, president of the AASAA Tinsukia district committee, launched a sharp attack on both the Congress and the BJP, alleging that the two national parties are “two sides of the same coin”. He claimed that both parties primarily serve corporate and capitalist interests while neglecting the concerns of Adivasi, minority and Dalit communities.

Orea said the upcoming Assembly election would provide an opportunity for alternative political forces to assert themselves and added that the Jai Bharat Party, backed by Adivasi organisations, would play a significant role in the Margherita constituency. The meeting concluded with a call for unity among Adivasi voters to ensure their political voice is effectively represented in the forthcoming polls.