By Sujeet Kumar
Dibrugarh, Mar 22 (IANS): Politicians of the ruling BJP and the prime challenger Congress are running from one tea estate to another in Assam, primarily in the Upper Assam division, to woo thousands of tea garden workers ahead of the three-phase voting for the state Assembly starting March 27.
The state has a total of 126 seats and the first phase polling will be exercised in 47 seats that will decide whether the BJP-led alliance retains power or the Congress-led grouping that includes AIUDF stages a comeback.
Out of these 47 seats in 2016, BJP won 27, AGP bagged 8, Congress won 9, AIUDF 2 while one seat was won by an Independent candidate.
The BJP has been running a high-voltage poll campaign along with its partner Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and others in the Upper Assam division, primarily in Dibrugarh, Sivasagar, Jorhat, Tinsukia and Dhemaji districts to repeat its 2016 poll performance in which tea estate workers voted in bulk in favour of the saffron party to vote out Congress from power.
But the Congress is leaving no stone unturned this time to cash in on the anti-CAA sentiments of the local people and over the low wage of tea estate workers.
"Normally, nobody asks about our daily wage and well-being. But for the past one week, the leaders across all political parties have crowded our hamlets asking us to vote for them if the tea industry has to thrive," Shabash Devnath (45), who works at the Khowang Tea Estate in Dibrugarh district, told IANS.
"BJP says Congress will ruin the tea industry if it returns to power while the Congress claims it will guarantee Rs 365 daily wage if it is voted to power. We are absolutely confused this time," he added.
He claimed that a tea estate worker gets Rs 167 a day as wage and the Congress offer looks attractive.
The Congress, which was looking down and out in Assam a couple of months ago, has made a significant comeback all of a sudden and its leaders have now developed self-believe that the party has a fair chance to return to power.
But the Congress struggles with resources to match with the BJP and it matters in a tight contest as Assam is witnessing this time.